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PIX: PSG thrash Lille; Atletico go top of LaLiga

Last updated on: March 02, 2025 08:12 IST

A summary of Saturday's action in Ligue 1, LaLiga and Bundesliga.

Desire Doue celebrates scoring Paris St Germain's fourth goal against Lille at Parc des Princes, Paris, on Saturday.

IMAGE: Desire Doue celebrates scoring Paris St Germain's fourth goal against Lille at Parc des Princes, Paris, on Saturday. Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters

Paris St Germain continued their march towards the Ligue 1 title with a 4-1 win over fifth-placed Lille on Saturday, scoring all four goals in a first half that saw the visitors overwhelmed.

The capital club have 62 points from 24 matches and a 16-point lead over both Olympique de Marseille, who host Nantes on Sunday, and third-placed Nice after they won 3-1 at St Etienne.

 

PSG's waves of attacks forced Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier into several saves as he tried to stem the tide.

Bradley Barcola scored the home side's first goal after six minutes pouncing on a rebound after a Chevalier save from Ousmane Dembele and from there it just got worse for Lille.

Marquinhos doubled the lead in the 22nd, scrambling the ball over the line past the Lille defence while six minutes later Dembele added a third to all but wrap up the points.

In the 37th minute, Desire Doue completed the first-half scoring with a brilliant strike from a tight angle, leaving Lille with little to play for but pride after the restart.

Both sides created chances in the second half and 10 minutes from time Jonathan David got a consolation for Lille, who stay on 41 points, two behind fourth-placed AS Monaco.

Alvarez lifts Atletico to top spot with win over Bilbao

Julian Alvarez scores Atletico Madrid's only goal of the match against Athletic Bilbao at  Metropolitano, Madrid.

IMAGE: Julian Alvarez scores Atletico Madrid's only goal of the LaLiga match against Athletic Bilbao at Metropolitano, Madrid. Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

Atletico Madrid climbed into provisional top spot in LaLiga with a battling 1-0 home win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday thanks to a second-half strike from substitute Julian Alvarez.

Diego Simeone's side top LaLiga with 56 points, two clear of Barcelona, who host Real Sociedad on Sunday, and third-placed Real Madrid, who lost 2-1 at Real Betis on Saturday.

Athletic stay fourth on 48 points.

Atletico came close to taking the lead in the first half through Alexander Sorloth, who missed a header from Antoine Griezmann's pass and again from Giuliano Simeone's cross.

Before the break the Norway striker tried another header from Nahuel Molina's cross but failed to convert once more.

Nico and Inaki Williams also came close for the visitors, but the brothers could not find the back of Jan Oblak's net.

Alvarez, who came on for Sorloth just before the hour mark, eventually scored the winner in the 66th minute with a precise left-foot shot after being played through by Marcos Llorente.

Bilbao never gave up and almost equalised in the dying minutes when substitute Gorka Guruzeta met Yuri Berchiche's cross in the centre of the box but his shot flew wide.

Real Madrid slumped to defeat at Real Betis after their former player Isco converted a second-half penalty.

Madrid dominated the early proceedings and took the lead after 10 minutes when Brahim Diaz tapped in Ferland Mendy's pass from the left after a great through ball from Kylian Mbappe.

Betis overcame the sluggish start, though, and equalised in the 34th through Johnny Cardoso's close-range header off a corner from Isco.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois pulled off a crucial save to deny Cardoso a second goal shortly before half-time.

The Belgian, however, could not prevent Isco from scoring a clinical spot kick to hand Betis the lead nine minutes after the break following Antonio Rudiger's foul on Jesus Rodriguez.

Leverkusen’s first-half blitz leaves Frankfurt reeling

Nathan Tella scores Bayern Leverkusen's first goal in the Bundesliga match against Eintracht Frankfurt at Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt.

IMAGE: Nathan Tella scores Bayern Leverkusen's first goal in the Bundesliga match against Eintracht Frankfurt at Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt. Photograph: Heiko Becker/Reuters

Bayer Leverkusen delivered a ruthless first-half performance, striking three times in just seven minutes, to leave hosts Eintracht Frankfurt reeling with a 4-1 victory in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

With 53 points, Leverkusen are holding strong to second place, sitting 11 points clear of third-placed Frankfurt. Bayern Munich remain firmly at the top with 61 points.

The breakthrough came in the 26th minute when Nathan Tella slipped in behind the Frankfurt defence. With a composed first touch, he set himself up before driving a low shot across goal, finding the bottom left corner.

Just three minutes later, Nordi Mukiele extended the lead with a close-range finish. The scoring spree was capped off in the 33rd minute when Patrik Schick calmly slotted the ball home from inside the box after latching onto a pass from the byline.

However, Leverkusen's confidence led to a lapse in concentration, allowing Frankfurt to capitalise. Seven minutes before the break, Hugo Ekitike seized on a misplaced back-pass, rounded goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, and slotted the ball into an empty net.

Leverkusen maintained their dominance in the second half, with Aleix García delivering a low long shot in the 62nd minute, following a clearance, that nestled into the far lower corner to seal the fourth and final goal of the night.

Source: REUTERS
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