Five Things We Learned From European Football Over The Weekend
18th March 2019
Juventus, without Cristiano Ronaldo, fell to their first Serie A defeat of the season in a 2-0 reverse to Genoa but still have a 15-point lead
- Zinedine Zidane marked his return to the Real Madrid dugout with a victory although Lionel Messi again stole the show in Spain with a magnificent hat-trick as Barcelona continued their march towards the La Liga title
- Canadian teenager Alphonso Davies became the youngest Bayern Munich goalscorer since Roque Santa Cruz in 1999, a year before the former was even born, in Sunday's 6-0 demolition of Mainz
- With their Ligue 1 status under threat, Monaco's decision to cut short a failing experiment with Thierry Henry in January and replace him with predecessor Leonardo Jardim has paid off handsomely
PARIS, France- Zinedine
Zidane marked his return to the Real Madrid dugout with a victory although
Lionel Messi again stole the show in Spain with a magnificent hat-trick as
Barcelona continued their march towards the La Liga title.
AFP Sport looks at what we learned from the weekend's key
action across the continent:
Zidane picks up where he left off
Zinedine Zidane may have made a winning start to his second
spell as coach of Real Madrid but Barcelona look to have the La Liga title
already sewn up.
Barca blew away Real Betis 4-1 on Sunday as Lionel Messi
scored his fourth hat-trick of the season and 51st of his career, prompting
even the Betis fans to stand and applaud.
The Catalans now have a 10-point lead over Atletico Madrid,
who were beaten 2-0 by Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, four days after their
Champions League heartache at the hands of Juventus.
Real's hopes of catching Barcelona were already all but over
but Zidane has at least lifted the gloom.
He recalled a handful of old favourites against Celta Vigo
on Saturday, including Isco, who scored the opener, before Gareth Bale -- who
was not always appreciated by Zidane in the coach's first spell -- added
another in a 2-0 victory.
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Spalletti avoids 'Last Supper' with Inter
Under-fire Inter Milan coach Luciano Spalletti hit back at
his critics with a dramatic 3-2 Milan derby win which lifted his side to third
in Serie A.
For Spalletti it was a third derby win in four since taking
over in mid-2017, and just days after crashing out of the Europa League, as
Inter extended their unbeaten run in the derby to six games, their longest run
since 1999.
"I read that this was to be my last derby, the 'Last
Supper'," said the former Roma and Zenit Saint Petersburg coach.
"And instead I know that there's another supper for
me," he added, after being praised by Chinese-owned Inter's president
Steven Zhang.
"We're now already looking to the future, to the next
match and next month," said Zhang. "This derby sends an
important message."
Juventus, without Cristiano Ronaldo, fell to their first
Serie A defeat of the season in a 2-0 reverse to Genoa but still have a
15-point lead.
Davies offers glimpse of Bayern future
Canadian teenager Alphonso Davies became the youngest Bayern
Munich goalscorer since Roque Santa Cruz in 1999, a year before the former was
even born, in Sunday's 6-0 demolition of Mainz.
Bayern are level on points with Borussia Dortmund as they
bid for an eighth successive Bundesliga title, but the meek nature of their
Champions League exit against Liverpool posed questions about the future of a
number of ageing stars.
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With a clear-out on the horizon in Bavaria, the 18-year-old
Davies, acquired last July in a $13 million (11.5 million euros) move from MLS
side Vancouver Whitecaps, could soon be given the opportunity to stake his claim
as a core component in a new Bayern generation.
Jardim return a shrewd move by Monaco
With their Ligue 1 status under threat, Monaco's decision to
cut short a failing experiment with Thierry Henry in January and replace him
with predecessor Leonardo Jardim has paid off handsomely.
Friday's 1-0 win at second-place Lille, enjoying their best
points return at this stage of the campaign since 1948, extended Monaco's
unbeaten run since his return to seven games in Ligue 1.
They remain just two places above the relegation play-off
spot but are eight points clear of Guingamp and recent form suggests they will
surely avoid the drop.
Ajax wobble ahead of crucial PSV showdown
Champions League quarter-finalists Ajax slumped to a 1-0
defeat away to AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Eredivisie to drop five points behind
leaders PSV Eindhoven.
PSV won 1-0 at VVV Venlo over the weekend courtesy of a late
strike by Mexico international Hirving Lozano.
Ajax, who won the last of their record 33 Dutch
championships in 2014, must now win their clash with PSV in Amsterdam on March
31 if they are to remain in the title race.