Messi vs Ronaldo: PSG forward overtakes CR7 with goal no. 702 while Arsenal, Barcelona hold their leads

Lionel Messi breaking a Cristiano Ronaldo record, a new twist in the Premier League title race, a post-match altercation in La Liga — Europe’s top five leagues had plenty of drama to offer in the last match-week.

In the lead: Paris Saint-Germain’s Argentine forward Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Nice in Ligue 1. Messi became Europe’s top-scorer with that strike, pushing Cristiano Ronaldo to second place. | Photo Credit: AFP

Ligue 1

It was yet another day when the ‘Messi-Ronaldo’ rivalry came into the topic of discussion. After successive losses against Rennes and Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory against Nice. Lionel Messi scored one and set up another for Sergio Ramos, a nice way to answer critics, and after being booed by home fans. Messi’s goal was also a record-breaking one — he scored his 702nd goal in Europe’s top five leagues and broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 701.

Marseille played out a goalless draw with Lorient, while Lyon defeated Rennes by a scoreline of 3-1. Lens, which is having an extraordinary season, won 2-1 against 10-man Strasbourg.

At the end of matchday 30, PSG is on top with 69 points. In second is Lens with 63 points followed by Marseille and Monaco in third and fourth with 61 and 58 points respectively.

Premier League

The hiring and firing policy for managers continued in full flow in the Premier League, with Chelsea relieving Graham Potter of his duties and replacing him with former manager Frank Lampard on an interim basis until the end of the season. However, the re-appointment did not see a change in Chelsea’s fortunes as the Blues stumbled to a 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers in Lampard’s first game in charge.

Brendan Rodgers also left Leicester City by mutual consent, and according to reports, David Moyes of West Ham and Steve Cooper of Nottingham Forest are close to getting the axe as well.

Manchester United bagged consecutive wins against Brentford and Everton. With Christian Eriksen back in the fray and Casemiro set to return, having served his four-match domestic ban, things would have been perfect for the Red Devils if not for top-scorer Marcus Rashford’s injury, which he suffered late in the second-half against the Toffees. With the extent of the injury unknown, manager Erik Ten Hag would certainly hope that it is not serious.

Manchester City thrashed Southampton 4-1, with Erling Haaland grabbing a brace. The win proves to be crucial in the title race because, at the moment, City is six points behind Arsenal with a game in hand, and both teams are set to face each other one more time before the season culminates. Arsenal could have extended its lead at the top, but Liverpool stood firm and eked out a point with a 2-2 draw at Anfield. Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus scored for the Gunners in the first-half, but the Reds mounted a second-half comeback courtesy of strikes by Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.

Special strike: Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min scores his side’s first goal against Brighton and Hove Albion. The South Korean became the first Asian to score 100 goals in the Premier League. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Cristian Stellini has had a tumultuous start to his time as Tottenham Hotspur’s manager. While he saw his side beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1, a scuffle in the technical areas saw him and his counterpart Roberto De Zerbi get a red card. Meanwhile, Son Heung-Min’s opening goal in the 10th minute made him the first Asian to score 100 goals in the Premier League.

At the end of matchday 30, Arsenal tops the table with 73 points, followed by Manchester City in second with 67 points, having played a game less. Newcastle and Man United are third and fourth, respectively, with both teams having 56 points. But, the Magpies stay above because of a better goal-difference.

La Liga

Spain’s top-flight football had its fair share of drama after reports surfaced about Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde’s altercation with Villarreal’s Alex Baena. It is rumoured that after Madrid’s 2-3 loss, Valverde punched Baena in the parking lot — the reported reason being Baena making comments on Valverde’s then-unborn son during a Copa del Rey clash that dated back to January. Baena completely refuted the claims and has filed a police complaint.

Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid clinched a narrow 2-1 win against a 10-man Rayo Vallecano after Rayo’s Florian Lejeune saw red in the 62nd minute.

Sevilla, which is having a disappointing season, going by its standards, drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo. Real Sociedad managed a 2-0 win against Getafe.

At the end of matchday 27, Barcelona leads the table with 71 points and can stretch its lead to 15 points over rival Real Madrid with a win against Girona. Madrid is second with 59 points. Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad are third and fourth with 57 and 51 points, respectively.

Bundesliga

After an exit from the DfB Pokal (German Cup), Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich came back with a narrow 1-0 win against SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga. It needed a Matthijs de Ligt screamer in the 51st minute on a tough night for the Bavarians away from home. Losing 4-2 to Bayern in the Der Klassiker, Borussia Dortmund took a further slump after getting knocked out of the German Cup like Bayern. However, it did manage to clinch a 2-1 win against Union Berlin, which was mounting its own title challenge at one point in the season, only to fall back due to a lack of consistency.

RB Leipzig also managed all three points after a 1-0 win against Hertha Berlin.

At the end of matchday 27, Bayern is the league leader with 58 points, closely followed by Dortmund in second with 56. Berlin and Leipzig are third and fourth with 51 and 48 points respectively.

Serie A

After a 4-0 humiliation at the hands of Milan, Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory against 16th-placed Lecce.

Milan could not build on its superb win against Napoli and was held to a goalless draw by the 14th-placed Empoli. In a match where Milan had 71 per cent possession, 677 passes compared to Empoli’s 299 and nine corners compared to zero for its opponent, it was more than disappointing for the Italian giant.

Another team in the bottom-half dished out an inspiring performance — the 15th-placed Salernitana held Inter to a 1-1 draw. Inter led for the majority of the match after Robin Gosens’ strike in the sixth minute. But Antonio Candreva snatched a point for Salernitana with a 90th-minute equaliser.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma won 1-0 against Torino, while Lazio stopped Juventus in its tracks with a 2-1 win against the Bianconeri. At the end of matchday 29, Napoli is cruising at the top with 74 points. Lazio, Roma and Milan are second, third and fourth with 58, 53 and 52 points, respectively. Inter is fifth, while Atalanta and Juventus occupy the sixth and seventh positions.