LaLiga: Barcelona demolish Real Betis
Hansi Flick did not hold back when assessing Lamine Yamal after Barcelona's 5-2 demolition of Real Betis away from home. "When you see the first goal he scored, unbelievable," said Flick. "This is, for me, at the moment, the best player in the world." The teenager's ability to manipulate the ball at pace remains in a class of its own.
That stunning opener was part of a wider performance that extended Barcelona's perfect LaLiga record to nine wins from nine — the best scoring start to a season in 86 years, with 39 goals already on the board. It is also the longest unbeaten run to open a campaign in 58 years. Betis did compete, with Giovani Lo Celso unfortunate to see an excellent strike ruled out, but Barcelona's attacking output proved overwhelming.
Real Madrid were equally impressive, dismantling Sevilla 4-1 at the Bernabeu. Arda Guler opened the scoring with an ambitious angled finish before Kylian Mbappe netted twice, making his own case ahead of next week's El Clasico. Atletico Madrid, however, sit between the two giants in the table after Alex Baena came off the bench to curl a late winner into the side-netting against Espanyol.
The Clasico arrives just one day after the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, adding extra narrative weight. Momentum appears firmly with Yamal this time around.
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich reclaim top spot
Harry Kane made his 100th Bundesliga appearance one to remember, scoring once and setting up two more as Bayern Munich swept aside RB Leipzig 6-1 at the Allianz Arena. The England captain's display strengthened his own Ballon d'Or credentials ahead of next week's ceremony. Luis Diaz weighed in with a hat-trick as Bayern returned to Bavaria with maximum points after back-to-back away draws.
Borussia Dortmund remain unbeaten but could only draw 0-0 at Union Berlin, leaving them one point behind the tally they seemed destined to have after leading Werder Bremen by two goals last week. Niclas Fullkrug rescued that situation with a brace, and the striker struck twice again to earn Paderborn a point against Dortmund's rivals on Saturday.
Bayer Leverkusen edged past Freiburg 2-1, with Patrik Schick netting the winner to score in all six of Leverkusen's Bundesliga matches this season. Meanwhile, Borussia Monchengladbach remain without a point after a 2-1 home defeat to Hoffenheim — a new coach but the same worrying pattern. Newcomers Elversberg provided the feel-good story of the weekend, beating Augsburg 4-3 for their second victory by that scoreline alone.
Serie A: Lazio stun Juventus in Turin
Inter Milan remain top of Serie A after coming from behind to beat Bologna 3-1, but they are not the league's most captivating story. That belongs to Lazio, who produced their most emphatic result yet under Gennaro Gattuso — a commanding 3-0 win at Juventus that extended their record-breaking start to the Italian season.
Oliver Provstgaard opened the scoring with a glancing header, only the second top-division goal of his career. Fellow Dane Gustav Isaksen also found the net, while Mattia Zaccagni and Nuno Taveres have been central to what is a remarkable collective resurgence. Even Davide Frattesi, who went an entire season without scoring for Inter, has now netted in three consecutive matches.
Elsewhere in Serie A, Roma remain unbeaten after a comfortable 2-0 win over Genoa, achieved without the suspended Donyell Malen. Ruben Amorim's Milan held on for a 3-2 victory over Atalanta, while Napoli suffered a 1-0 defeat at Venezia — Kevin De Bruyne's penalty saved in a forgettable afternoon for the Neapolitans.
Ligue 1: PSG's substitutes deliver again
Paris Saint-Germain fell behind against Strasbourg on Saturday before Luis Enrique's bench transformed the match. Ousmane Dembele came on, squandered a penalty, then provided the assist to equalise before scoring what proved to be the winner. Fellow substitute Desire Doue added a late goal to round off a 3-1 comeback victory.
Lyon now sit top of Ligue 1 after Monaco and Rennes both lost their away fixtures — to Lorient and Paris FC respectively. Liam Rosenior's Paris FC were 4-3 winners and sit level on points with their more illustrious Parisian neighbours. Olivier Giroud, now 40, scored from the spot to earn Lille a point, while Marseille ran out 5-2 winners at Angers in an eye-catching result.
