Here Are Five Major Talking Points From European Football This Weekend
18th February 2020
It was a good weekend for Barcelona in the Spanish title race, while Paris Saint-Germain's defensive vulnerabilities were again exposed before the Champions League returns
- Real Madrid dropped two points by conceding a late equaliser to Celta Vigo on Sunday as next month's Clasico looks increasingly like proving a pivotal point in La Liga's title race
- Images of Porto striker Moussa Marega walking off the pitch in disgust after being racially abused in his team's game against Vitoria Guimaraes have sent shockwaves around the football world
- Paris Saint-Germain did not get the reassurance they were looking for before Tuesday's Champions League last 16, first leg against Borussia Dortmund, as they drew 4-4 with Amiens in a remarkable Ligue 1 game
PARIS,
France- It
was a good weekend for Barcelona in the Spanish title race, while Paris
Saint-Germain's defensive vulnerabilities were again exposed before the
Champions League returns.
Meanwhile, action in Portugal was overshadowed by racist
abuse suffered by Porto star Moussa Marega.
AFP Sport rounds up the main talking points from the weekend
on the continent:
- Clasico set to be pivotal -
Real Madrid dropped two points by conceding a late equaliser
to Celta Vigo on Sunday as next month's Clasico looks increasingly like proving
a pivotal point in La Liga's title race.
Madrid briefly pulled six points clear of Barcelona earlier
this month but the Catalans kept pace by scraping past Real Betis before
capitalising on Celta's draw at the Santiago Bernabeu by beating Getafe 2-1 on
Saturday.
It means instead of pulling away, Madrid's lead at the top
has been cut to one point, with their game at home to Barca on March 1 fast
approaching. Victory for either team could prove decisive.
- Marega racist abuse rocks Portugal -
Images of Porto striker Moussa Marega walking off the pitch
in disgust after being racially abused in his team's game against Vitoria
Guimaraes have sent shockwaves around the football world.
The 28-year-old, a France-born Mali international, signalled
to the bench that he was walking off in protest in the 71st minute after being
subjected to monkey chants.
He had scored a 60th-minute goal for Porto to seal a 2-1 win
against his former club. Angry and upset, Marega gave a thumbs-down signal with
both hands to home fans. Porto coach Sergio Conceicao and Vitoria players tried
to get him to stay on the pitch.
"I hope I will never see you again on a football field.
You are a disgrace," he wrote on Instagram in a message aimed at his
tormentors, and the referee who booked him.
"We are Marega" said the front-page headline in
sports daily A Bola on Monday, as Portuguese media reported police were seeking
to identify those responsible.
- PSG defensive wobbles continue -
Paris Saint-Germain did not get the reassurance they were
looking for before Tuesday's Champions League last 16, first leg against
Borussia Dortmund, as they drew 4-4 with Amiens in a remarkable Ligue 1 game.
PSG were 3-0 down, came back to lead 4-3 and then conceded a
last-minute equaliser against opponents who have not won a league game in over
three months.
Thomas Tuchel's team have let in eight goals in their last
four outings, which hardly bodes well before facing a Dortmund side who are
scoring at an average of four goals a game in 2020.
However, Tuchel will point to the fact he heavily rotated
his team. Neymar and Kylian Mbappe were rested.
"It won't be the same match in Dortmund," insisted
Tuchel. "I am still thinking about my team selection, and there are 12 or
13 players in contention to start."
- Germans prepare for Europe in style -
Germany's Champions League representatives warmed up for
their return to continental competition by recording big victories in the
Bundesliga title race.
Bayern Munich remain a point clear at the summit after
winning 4-1 at Cologne as Robert Lewandowski grabbed his 23rd goal of the
season.
The Bavarians are not in Champions League action against
Chelsea until next week. Before that, RB Leipzig are in London this week,
facing Tottenham Hotspur fresh from a 3-0 win over Werder Bremen which leaves
them second.
Borussia Dortmund's teenage star Erling Braut Haaland
claimed his ninth goal in six games in Friday's 4-0 thumping of Eintracht
Frankfurt, leaving them four points off the top in third.
- Ramsey 'settling' at Juventus -
Maurizio Sarri said Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey was
finally settling into life at Juventus despite reports the Turin giants are
ready to sell the former Arsenal player.
The 29-year-old joined Juventus on a free transfer last
summer but has had an injury-riddled season, making 13 league appearances and
scoring two goals in all competitions.
He helped the champions return to the top of the league with
a 2-0 win over Brescia.
"Historically, British players have struggled to adapt
to the tactics of our football, but it seems to me that he has overcome the
difficult phase and that he can reach a high-level performance," said
Sarri.