Madrid, Spain – Robert Lewandowski came off the bench to score a late winner in a 2-1 victory away to 10-man Atlético Madrid on Saturday that moved the defending champions seven points clear of Real Madrid – who suffered a shock defeat at Real Mallorca – at the top of La Liga.
Barcelona had plenty of motivation after Real's 2-1 loss at Mallorca earlier on Saturday, but it was the hosts who took the lead six minutes before the break through Giuliano Simeone.
The visitors responded with a Marcus Rashford goal three minutes later and Atlético had Nico González sent off on the stroke of half-time. Lewandowski was in the right place to net a fortunate rebound three minutes from time.
Atlético remain fourth in the table on 57 points, 19 points off Barcelona, and the sides will meet again at the Camp Nou on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Key developments:
- Lewandowski scores late winner as Barcelona beat 10-man Atlético 2-1
- Real Madrid suffer shock 2-1 defeat at Mallorca with Vedat Muriqi's added-time winner
- Barcelona stretch La Liga lead to seven points over Real Madrid
- Bayern Munich come from two goals down to snatch 3-2 victory at Freiburg
- Borussia Dortmund score two stoppage-time goals to beat Stuttgart 2-0
- Fan unrest at Stuttgart; pitch invasion and brawls in 2.Bundesliga match
- Lille crush derby rivals Lens 3-0 to climb to third in Ligue 1
Mallorca Stun Real Madrid
Real Mallorca dealt a major blow to Real Madrid's title aspirations as Vedat Muriqi struck an added-time winner to seal a shock 2-1 win for the hosts.
They withstood Real's pressure early in the game, the goalkeeper Leo Roman denying Kylian Mbappé with two diving saves, before taking the lead from their first shot on target in the 42nd minute when Manu Morlanes converted Pablo Maffeo's cross.
Éder Militão, playing for the first time since his hamstring injury in December, equalised for Real in the 88th minute but Muriqi, the second-highest scorer in La Liga this season after Mbappé, sealed Mallorca's win with a strike three minutes later. The victory – their first over Real in three years – moved them two points above the bottom three.
Muriqi, who was panned for his lacklustre performance when Kosovo failed to qualify for the World Cup with a loss to Turkey on Tuesday, broke down in tears after the final whistle, and said later: "Sometimes the emotions get the better of you, you can't keep the tears in."
Bayern's Incredible Comeback
In Germany, Bayern Munich scored three times in the last nine minutes as the Bundesliga leaders came from two goals behind to snatch a 3-2 victory at Freiburg. Tom Bischof fired in almost identical shots from the edge of the box to draw them level before Lennart Karl tapped in with almost the last kick of the game to earn three points for Bayern, who were without their injured top scorer, Harry Kane.
"We actually feel unbeatable at the moment," said the 18-year-old Karl, whose meteoric rise this season, featuring five league goals, has made him a serious candidate for Germany's World Cup squad.
Dortmund's Late Double
Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt scored deep in second half stoppage time to snatch a 2-0 victory at VfB Stuttgart. The result kept second-placed Dortmund, on 64 points, nine behind Bayern, while Stuttgart dropped to fourth on 53, behind RB Leipzig on goal difference.
There was fan unrest at the final whistle. A group of Stuttgart fans approached the field but stopped behind advertising boards and a chair was thrown on to the field. But this was nothing compared with events in the 2.Bundesliga match between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha Berlin, where fans ran onto the pitch, lit flares were thrown, and police stormed the field. The referee stopped the game for over 15 minutes.
Lille Crush Lens
Lens suffered a potentially fatal blow to their unlikely Ligue 1 title bid with a 3-0 loss away to their northern derby rivals Lille. Pierre Sage's team have surprisingly been Paris Saint-Germain's closest challengers in France this season but they were swept aside by an in-form Lille.
Lille climbed up two places to third after extending their unbeaten run to eight matches, with Lens still four points behind PSG and having played a game more than the league leaders, who brushed past Toulouse 3-1 on Friday.
Allegri Addresses Italy Job Links
Massimiliano Allegri, the Milan coach, said on Saturday he has not given any thought to the vacant Italy manager's job as he focuses on getting his Serie A team back into the Champions League, despite being linked with the post.
"I started a journey last year with Milan, now we have to be focused on finishing the season well and reaching the Champions League," Allegri said. "I haven't thought about it yet. I'm fine at Milan and I hope to stay at Milan for a long time."
Stay updated with the latest sports news on our World Sports Page.
