Big-game player Havertz shines as Wirtz disappoints, Terzic wins Basque derby, Tresoldi leads scoring chart

Here is our recap of the actions from the top European leagues from the perspectives of Germany and ex-Bundesliga players.

Kai Havertz sends Arsenal top of the Premier League, while two former Bundesliga players scored hat-tricks in Ligue 1.

Rose beats Marsch in the battle of German coaches 

Marco Rose‘s Bournemouth extended their winning streak to five games in all competitions with a 2-0 victory over Leeds United. Former Bayer Leverkusen winger Amine Adli has only played 75 minutes in this run, but he scored for the third time as Daniel Farke’s men are now winless in five.

Meanwhile, fellow German coach Fabian Hürzeler guided Brighton to another high-profile win as they beat Manchester City away from home. Erling Haaland and co. will now travel to Leipzig for Wednesday’s Champions League clash.

Staying with coaches who have Bundesliga connections, Oliver Glasner, who has won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt, delivered a lengthy rant as Nottingham Forest stayed in relegation zone after a single point from five games.

Former Forest and Union Berlin striker Taiwo Awoniyi opened his account for newly-promoted Coventry City, while fellow ex-Mainz man Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off in the first-half of Crystal Palace’s defeat at resurgent Tottenham Hotspur before they host Hoffenheim in the Europa League.

Nicolas Jackson scored his eighth Aston Villa goal on matchday 9, which will be concluded with Matthias Jaissle‘s Newcastle United hosting Everton on Monday night. Germany internationals Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz locked horns in the “Match of the Week” between the last two England champions.

Havertz’s solitary strike decided Sunday’s tie at Anfield as he ended his ten-game goal drought for club and country. Wirtz hit the crossbar with a brilliant free-kick, but his performance left plenty to ponder once again as Liverpool are now already nine points behind the league leaders Arsenal.

Terzic’s Athletic Club beat Matarazzo’s Sociedad in Basque derby

Former Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic won his first Basque derby as Athletic Club prevailed against last season’s Copa del Rey winners Real Sociedad. Orel Mangala, who played under the current Sociedad coach Pellegrino Matarazzo at Stuttgart, scored his first LaLiga goal for Getafe in their win over Sevilla.

The top four teams in Spanish’s top-flight all won their respective games on matchday 11. Hansi Flick‘s FC Barcelona returned to winning ways by scoring half a dozen goals after defeats to PSG and Real Madrid. 

Yan Diomandè continued his fine form for Jose Mourinho’s side with a spectacular goal as Real Madrid ended Racing Santander’s unbeaten home record. Alejandro Grimaldo scored for second-placed Atleti as they extended their winning streak to seven league matches before their clash against FC Bayern, while Marc Bartra was on target for Real Betis before his return to Westfalenstadion on Wednesday.

Over in Serie A, Bartra’s former teammate at Dortmund, Christian Pulisic opened the score for AC Milan in their 3-1 derby win over Inter. Diego Moreira, who was heavily linked with RB Leipzig before joining the seven-time European champions, scored a free-kick in the game between two clubs who unveiled their project of leaving San Siro for Generali Stadium earlier in the week.

Gennaro Gattuso’s Lazio used the opportunity as they’re now three points ahead of the champions in the standings. Nick Woltemade once again played 90 minutes for Juventus in their 2-0 win over Napoli as the 19-year-old midfielder Kerim Alajbegovic scored his first Serie A goal.

Donyell Malen and Evan Ndicka were among the goal scorers for AS Roma as the capital city club continued their unbeaten start with a 5-2 victory over Udinese. Romano Schmid‘s Frosinone also continued their fine form as the newly-promoted side collected ten points from the last four matches.

Hakimi and Wahi scored hat-tricks on Friday

On Friday, two former Bundesliga players scored Ligue 1 hat-tricks. PSG extended their winning streak to nine games in all competitions with a 5-1 win at Le Havre as ex-BVB fullback Achraf Hakimi scored a hat-trick and provided the assists for the other two goals.

Frankfurt loanee Elye Wahi continued his fine form as his goals helped Nice to 5-2 win over Rennes. Jonathan Clauss, who left for Ligue 1 after winning a promotion to Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld in 2020, and Wolfsburg loanee Mohamed Amoura were also on target for the hosts.

Another Bundesliga loanee was on the scoresheet for Strasbourg in their 5-1 victory over Auxerre. RB Leipzig’s Conrad Harder scored his first Stade de la Meinau goal to help the hosts end a four-game losing streak in style. A treble winner with FC Bayern, Corentin Tolisso scored and assisted in Lyon’s 2-0 win against Angers to stay in second place.

In contrast, Marseille had a tough start to the Ligue 1 season before climbing to sixth with their fourth win on the trot. Amine Harit scored his third league goal of the season days before his return to Germany as Marseille face Bayer Leverkusen in their next test on Thursday.

Tresoldi leads Pro League scoring chart

Nicolo Tresoldi scored and assisted for Club Brugge in their 4-2 win at Waregem. The German-Italian striker is now the sole leader of the scoring chart in Belgium’s top-flight league with eight goals. Although it’s not yet clear whether he made a decision on his international allegiance, Tresoldi could be named in Jürgen Klopp’s upcoming squad this week.

Former Bundesliga striker Wout Weghorst scored four goals for Twente in their 9-0 win over ten-man Excelsior in Eredivisie. Leaders Feyenoord dropped points as Ajax and the defending champions PSV narrowed the gap at the top.

Liga Portugal leaders Porto extend their perfect record with former Bundesliga striker Andre Silva scoring fourth goal of the campaign, while Samuel Essende scored twice for Young Boys despite his team’s 5-3 home defeat to Zurich in Switzerland. 

The DR Congo international, who has joined the club from Augsburg at the start of the year, leads the scoring chart in Swiss Super League with 14 goals. Meanwhile, fellow former Bundesliga strikers and Nigerian duo Gift Orban and Victor Osimhen are top of Super Lig ranks.

Osimhen’s Galatasaray will face Stuttgart in the Champions League on Tuesday, while fellow Turkish side Trabzonspor are Freiburg’s next opponents in the Europa League. In Argentina, Santiago Ascasibar‘s Boca Juniors beat River Plate, who finished the game with nine players, in one of the world’s famous derbies. The defensive midfielder had a stint with Stuttgart and Hertha BSC before returning to his home country.