Barcelona Dominate Levante to Retake La Liga Lead
Barcelona surged back to the summit of La Liga with a commanding 3-0 triumph over relegation-threatened Levante at Camp Nou on Sunday. The victory, fueled by goals from Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong, and substitute Fermín López, propelled last season's champions to 61 points from 25 matches, edging one point ahead of Real Madrid after their rivals' surprising defeat by Osasuna on Saturday.
Barça had briefly slipped to second place following a 2-1 loss to Girona last week but showed no signs of vulnerability against a Levante side languishing second from bottom with only 18 points. Hansi Flick's team seized control early, with 18-year-old Bernal opening the scoring in the fourth minute by sliding in from close range after Eric García's low cross from the left flank.
De Jong doubled the advantage in the 32nd minute, arriving unmarked to expertly turn in João Cancelo's arching cross, also delivered from the left side. Barcelona maintained their dominance throughout the second half, with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha squandering opportunities before López came off the bench to seal the result, drilling a left-footed shot from the edge of the box that ricocheted off the post and into the net in the 81st minute.
Atalanta's Late Heroics Secure Victory Over Napoli
In Serie A action, Atalanta staged a dramatic comeback to defeat third-placed Napoli 2-1 at home, extending their unbeaten league streak to nine games. Napoli's loss, their fifth consecutive league defeat at Atalanta, left them a staggering 14 points behind leaders Inter Milan.
Napoli struck first in the 18th minute when Rasmus Højlund, on loan from Manchester United, won a free-kick just outside the box. Miguel Gutiérrez's curling left-footed delivery found the unmarked Sam Beukema, who headed home to give the visitors an early lead. Napoli thought they had doubled their advantage shortly after, but Alisson Santos's effort was ruled offside, and Kamaldeen Sulemana's push for an equalizer before halftime was thwarted by Milinkovic-Savic, who made two crucial saves.
However, Atalanta refused to be denied. They leveled the score in the 61st minute when Pasalic nodded in from Nicola Zalewski's corner. The hosts completed their fightback in the 81st minute, with Lazar Samardzic rising highest to meet Lorenzo Bernasconi's cross and direct a header into the far post, securing a vital victory.
Other European Football Highlights
Elsewhere in Italy, Milan aimed to close the gap on Inter by hosting Parma, while Roma welcomed Jamie Vardy's Cremonese to the Stadio Olimpico in the late fixture. In Germany, Freiburg continued their impressive form with a 2-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Matthias Ginter broke the deadlock in the 38th minute with an acrobatic finish from a long throw-in, despite pressure from Mönchengladbach defender Joe Scally. Ginter, who spent five seasons with Sunday's opponents, showed restraint in his celebrations. Igor Matanovic added a second for Freiburg in the 74th minute with a simple tap-in after Moritz Nicolas saved Maximilian Eggestein's cross, celebrating exuberantly with supporters.
Haris Tabakovic pulled one back late for Mönchengladbach, just a minute after having another goal disallowed for offside. Freiburg's victory extended their winning streak at home to five games across all competitions, while Gladbach's winless run stretched to seven matches. Later on Sunday, Stuttgart sought to consolidate fourth place for Champions League qualification with a win at last-place Heidenheim, and Werder Bremen visited St Pauli in a crucial relegation battle.
