Kevin De Bruyne’s 70th-minute goal helped Manchester City register their 12th successive win in the English Premier League. Real Madrid blanked Athletic Club 2-0 to win their 12th Supercopa title. Meanwhile, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, PSG, etc., sealed comfortable victories in their respective domestic leagues.
Unstoppable Manchester City
Manchester City did the league double over Chelsea after a 1-0 win at home. In the second half, De Bruyne snatched the winner courtesy of a curling effort from 20 yards. Chelsea, who included under-fire Romelu Lukaku in their playing 11, suffered their third league defeat this season and are now 13 points behind league leaders City.
Liverpool end winless streak
Goals from Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Takumi Minamino helped Liverpool pick up their first win in four games in the league. The Reds, in the absence of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, beat Brentford FC 3-0. They took the lead in the 44th minute through Fabinho. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Minamino found the net in the second half.
Manchester United held to a draw
A late fightback from Aston Villa denied Manchester United three points at Villa Park on Saturday. Bruno Fernandes struck a brace for the visitors, while Jacob Ramsey and new signing Philippe Coutinho scored in the space of four minutes to secure a point for Steven Gerrard's men.
Supercopa delight for Real Madrid
Real Madrid defeated Athletic Club 2-0 in the final of the Supercopa. Luka Modric put them ahead in the 38th minute, and Karim Benzema converted a penalty early in the second half. Real Madrid pipped FC Barcelona 3-2 in the opening semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup. Meanwhile, Athletic Club had reached the final after a comeback win over Atletico Madrid.
Inter Milan drop points; Juventus beat Udinese
A 0-0 draw against Atalanta BC saw Inter Milan's eight-match winning streak in Italian Serie A come to an end. It was also the first time the Milan outfit failed to score in a Serie A fixture since January 2021. Juventus grabbed a comfortable 2-0 win over Udinese courtesy of goals from Paulo Dybala and Weston McKennie.
Napoli, AC Milan suffer mixed fortunes in Coppa Italia
Nine-man Napoli lost 2-5 against ACF Fiorentina in Coppa Italia on Thursday. In a thrilling encounter, which saw three red cards, Napoli came back from behind twice to force extra time. However, Fiorentina scored three goals in 13 minutes. AC Milan progressed to the quarterfinals after a 3-1 win over Genoa CFC at San Siro. Olivier Giroud, Rafael Leao, and Alexis Saelemaekers were on the scoresheet for the Rossoneri.
Bayern, Dortmund register big wins
Robert Lewandowski bagged a hat-trick as Bayern Munich thrashed FC Koln 4-0 and picked up their first win in 2022. The Poland striker scored in the ninth minute, while Corentin Tolisso doubled Bayern's advantage before the half-hour mark. In the second half, Lewandowski struck twice to complete his hat-trick and a big win for his side. Thomas Meunier and Erling Haaland inspired Borussia Dortmund to a thumping 5-1 victory over SC Freiburg. Both Meunier and Haaland netted twice, and Mahmoud Dahoud, too, added his name on the goalscorers sheet.
Mbappe, Kehrer steer PSG home
PSG ended a two-game winless run with a 2-0 win over Stade Brestois at Parc des Princes. Kylian Mbappe's effort from the edge of the box put PSG ahead at half-time. The home side sealed all three points in the opening minutes of the second half through Thilo Kehrer. Lionel Messi, who has recovered from Covid-19, is expected to be part of the PSG squad for their match against Stade de Reims on January 24.
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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