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3 weeks ago
10
La Liga leaders Barcelona lost 1-0 to Leganés, allowing Atlético Madrid to pull level with them. Defender Sergio González’s fourth-minute header for Leganés proved enough to stun the wasteful hosts who lost their second consecutive league game in front of their own fans. The defender rose unmarked at the near post to fire an unstoppable header past goalkeeper Iñaki Peña.
Despite dominating with over 80% possession, Barça were clueless as they sought to overcome a disciplined and well organised five-man defence, spurning a handful of opportunities.
While they have been excellent in the Champions League with five wins in six games, Barcelona have struggled in La Liga for over a month, with only one victory in their last six league matches.
Barca remain top on goal difference, with both Atlético (level on points) and Real Madrid (one point behind) having a game in hand over them.
Alexander Sørloth came off the bench to score with a header late in the second half and give Atlético Madrid a hard-fought 1-0 win over Getafe in La Liga, their 11th consecutive triumph in all competitions.
Atlético, who have won all their games since late October, had to dig deep to break the deadlock and their winner came in a collaboration between two substitutes in the 69th minute. The full-back Nahuel Molina lifted a long cross from the right touchline which found the unmarked Sørloth, whose header at the far post beat goalkeeper David Soria.
In the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim’s Jacob Bruun Larsen scored a stoppage-time goal against his former club Borussia Dortmund to snatch a 1-1 draw for the visitors on Sunday and drop their opponents down to eighth place.
Bruun Larsen slid in to score in second-half stoppage time, spoiling the home fans’ celebrations. Gio Reyna had powered Dortmund into a 46th-minute lead after pouncing on a bad clearance to drill in from just inside the box.
With Dortmund’s injury concerns easing, as the forward Karim Adeyemi made his comeback and Nico Schlotterbeck was declared fit after a midweek ankle injury, the hosts gradually took control of the game after a strong Hoffenheim start.
Reyna put them in the driving seat but they struggled under late pressure from Hoffenheim and the visitors were rewarded late in the game, capping a bad week for Dortmund after their 3-2 Champions League loss to Barcelona.
The Ruhr valley club dropped to eighth on 22 points, with Bayern Munich, who suffered a 2-1 defeat at Mainz on Saturday, leading the title race on 33. Hoffenheim are in 14th spot on 14 points.
