My Favourite Game: Germany 0-2 Italy (2006)

Watching a football game free of emotional attachment can be a rewarding experience. It unburdens you to study a game’s unique tactical nuances, sub-plots and refereeing decisions without any hint of conscious bias.

For someone who watches a high volume of football throughout the year, the World Cup is the pinnacle of global sporting stakes; national pride is on the line, virtually the entirety of your home country is counting on not only your talent but your collective strength of character and will to deliver.

4 July 2006, the venue: Borussia Dortmund’s feared Westfalenstadion, where host nation Germany boasted an impeccable record of thirteen wins and a solitary draw from their 14 appearances at the home of one of Europe’s most revered clubs.

In contrast, while Italy had been quietly negotiating the earlier tournament stages, a sizeable portion of the squad were being dogged by controversy surrounding the “Calciopoli” scandal, not least Gianluigi Buffon, Alessandro Del Piero and captain Fabio Cannavaro whose heavily implicated Juventus side were facing demotion to the third tier.

Normal time proved elusive as far as goalscoring, or even clear-cut chances, went. The game was being played on an absolute knife-edge, both teams seemingly prioritising nullifying the opposition’s attack over utilising their own weaponry, but the encounter was growing to be no less absorbing nonetheless – there was a tangible feeling that one goal for either side would earn a World Cup Final spot.

Extra-time came by, and soon enough a cathartic sense of liberation was manifesting, as both sides began to take more risks. Italy were gradually gaining a foothold in midfield and appeared to be intent on scoring before a shootout, conscious of the Germans’ favourable record at penalties.

Substitute Alberto Gilardino and full-back Gianluca Zambrotta both saw efforts strike the woodwork, while Buffon was also called into action at the other end, making a brilliant one-handed save from the standout German attacker Lukas Podolski.

The moment then came, two minutes shy of the shootout, when the genius flickered.

An Italian corner was cleared to the edge of the area when Andrea Pirlo slipped a deceiving forward pass, oozing with exquisite precision, through for Fabio Grosso, who made no mistake in curling past Jens Lehmann.

Grosso wheeled away in celebration, shaking his head in sheer disbelief at the enormity of the moment, before being bundled by his jubilant teammates.

Simultaneously, the deafening silence that enveloped Signul Iduna Park, at that numbing moment in time, could not have been more representative of the entire expectant German nation.

Jurgen Klinsmann’s side poured forward in predictable desperation, but the colossal captain Fabio Cannavaro stole the ball and set Gilardino away who, in acres of space, fed the overlapping Del Piero to finish beyond the advancing Lehmann to confirm Italy’s first World Cup Final in twelve years – a chance to avenge the haunting Roberto Baggio penalty miss and seal a fourth star onto their badge – cueing scenes of Italian ecstasy in the process.

The Azzurri would indeed go onto become World Champions in Berlin courtesy of a shootout victory over France, in a game largely remembered for a notorious Zinedine Zidane headbutt, but it was this resplendent, tactical display that was so pivotal on their path to glory.

Lazio overcome Inter resistance to intensify title dream

This felt like the turning point.

This felt like the moment that Lazio would transform from title outsiders to genuine title contenders.

The moment of the final whistle served as an instant cue for Lazio’s players to react with discernible emotion – many immediately raising their arms in the air in expression of sheer elation while others dropped to their knees simultaneously.

Simone Inzaghi’s side sealed their eleventh straight league victory, a record that dated back to October that, in turn, overcame their previously held Serie A best of nine consecutive wins under Sven-Göran Eriksson. Lazio finished second that season and followed that success by recording their last ever Scudetto Championship in 1999-2000 under the tutelage of the to-be England manager.

It was more than just the record, though. It was the fact that they had, yet again, overcome one of their revered title rivals: this time Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan, who they overtook in second place. They now sit a solitary point behind current Serie A holders Juventus, who, right now, appear anything but their normal imperious selves.

The fact that Lazio went in at the interval a goal down, having suffered the setback of conceding to an Ashley Young volley a minute before the break, felt even more significant.
A less assured side may well have buckled, but this Lazio side are made of sterner stuff this season, showing a consistent capacity to turn come from behind.

Back in October, during a home encounter to Atlanta, Inzaghi’s men recovered to score three goals in the final twenty minutes to rescue a 3-3 draw, not least to mention their stirring 3-1 home victory over Juventus that came after trailing to a first-half Cristiano Ronaldo strike.

Five minutes into the second period, Lazio found a way back into the game courtesy of a familiar face, former defender Stefan de Vrij – who memorably was responsible for conceding a penalty in his last game for the Roman club, ironically against Inter, who he had already agreed a pre-contract with the following season, and cost Lazio a Champions League qualification spot – by making enough contact with the back of Ciro Immobile – albeit a soft foul to concede – who duly made no mistake to convert the subsequent penalty for his 26th goal of the season.

Fortune was to play no part for the second goal, though. Immobile controlled neatly from a corner and his goal-bound effort was superbly cleared off the line by Marcelo Brozovic, only for the ball to land at the feet of the player who had looked the most potent all evening, Sergej Milinković-Savić.

The Serb, who had arguably looked the most threatening player on the field all evening and had seen an earlier long-range effort crash the woodwork in the first period, showed exquisite close control to manoeuvre space away from the onrushing defensive endeavours of Romelu Lukaku to fire into the bottom corner and send the majority of the Stadio Olimpico into raptures.

The 6 ft 5 in midfielder’s return to peak form this season has been integral to the Biancocelesti’s surge in this campaign under Inzaghi, for a side that appear to be wholly benefitting from the palpable squad togetherness and continuity under their young manager, who, at the very least, appears well on course to earn Lazio their first Champions League qualification in over a decade.

As for their title chances, they may be the most inexperienced of the title-challenging trio but they are the most in-form outfit, riding the crest of an indomitable wave.

If they achieve what many would have deemed unthinkable, it would, without doubt, surpass their previous Scudetto triumph twenty years ago.

Disciplined Bayern performance tilts Liverpool tie in their favour, but long-term concerns linger

After Tuesday’s final whistle blew on Merseyside to curtail a 0-0 draw from the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, Bayern Munich head coach Niko Kovac could reflect on a job well done, for the moment.

His side had delivered a dogged and resolute defensive performance in riposte to an anticipated Anfield onslaught, and despite the failure to claw an away goal to cherish, the 47-year-old was proud of the disciplined and stout nature his team carried out his game-plan and held their own in a widely adorned – arguably to mythical levels – arena.

The second leg – scheduled to be played at the Allianz Arena on 13 March – will be an encounter of higher stakes and will be unrecognisable from Tuesday on a tactical level, but it will require far more creative nous and offensive impetus from this Bayern side, and this is where doubts begin.

The fact that Bayern are seeking their seventh consecutive league title tells you everything you need to know about the Bundesliga power struggle, but this is a squad whose clock is visibly ticking and on a domestic front has been paying the price for the club’s reluctance to freshen ranks in the summer.

Irrespective of what happens on the pitch from now until May, this season will be final hurrah for a number of key players in their post-2012 hegemony. Arjen Robben and Franck Ribèry are set to depart and fans have been long calling for the replacements of their esteemed over 30’s; namely Robert Lewandowski, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels.

Change was called for across all sectors of Bayern’s support last summer and the club’s hierarchical triumvirate – Uli Hoeness, Club President, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Chief Executive and the sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic – succumbed to inertia, resulting in the Bavarians’ sluggish start that saw them drop as low as 6^th at one point pre-Christmas.

Their form has picked up since the Christmas break, though, and following a run of 9 victories from their last ten league fixtures, the nine-point gap that appeared seismic following their topsy-turvy 3-3 draw at home to Fortuna Dusseldorf on 24 November has now been cut to just three.

One theory behind Tuesday’s unyielding display of spirit and togetherness was that this was arguably Bayern’s first encounter where they have been seen as genuine underdogs – against a Liverpool side challenging for the Premier League title and who delivered a number of scintillating performances in reaching the Champions League Final last year – since Niko Kovac’s arrival.

The Croatian’s values, whose former Eintracht Frankfurt side were renowned in Germany for their fighting qualities against wealthier opposition, were for the first time evident in the faultless and workmanlike performances from the likes of Javi Martinez, James Rodriguez, Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman.

Such traits will be a prerequisite back at the Allianz for Liverpool’s return visit, as well as matching the composure and control shown on Merseyside, but with the onus on the Germans to attack, one would expect that they will need to summon the incisive spark and a glimmer of the offensive flamboyancy that has seen them at least reach the Semi-Final stages in the Champions League in all but two seasons this decade.

The emergence of Houssem Aouar and why, at the age of 19, he is already a pivotal first team figure at Lyon

Every summer Lyon will normally have at least one youth academy player ready in the wings to make his breakthrough in the first team the following campaign.

Having been given a brief taster of first team action in the 2016/17 season- 35 minutes in an eventually abandoned Ligue 1 fixture in Bastia and two Europa League ties against AZ Alkmaar- Houssem Aouar has certainly flourished in his debut season, frequently subjecting experienced players such as Jordan Ferri and Memphis Depay, to a place on the bench.

When the Lyon academy graduate trio of Corentin Tolisso, Maxime Gonalons and Rachid Ghezzal left the club in the summer of 2017, a midfield rebuilding task was the requisite for Genesio.

Aouar was given his first start at home to Dijon in September, lining up in the No. 8 shirt famously worn by Brazilian club legend Juninho, alongside Lucas Tousart and Tanguy Ndombele- a loan signing from Amiens- in a new-look younger Lyon midfield.

Played on the left side of the attacking trio behind Mariano Diaz in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Aouar’s impressive debut at the Groupama Stadium was consummated with an important goal to restore parity in the game at 2-2. The young midfielder displayed exemplary offensive awareness to break from his left-wing position to the centre of the penalty area to convert from Kenny Tete’s low cross.

The 19-year-old has since started 25 of his 30 appearances this campaign, playing a crucial role in his side’s quest to finish in a Champions League spot, a pursuit achieved by Lyon’s final-day 3-2 victory over Nice.

Aouar ends his first full professional season with 7 goals and 6 assists- notably; also, he recorded an 85% passing accuracy and remarkably, has made more tackles than any other teenager in Europe’s top five leagues this season.

One his key attributes that can expose opposition defences is his predatory movement off the ball, making himself a difficulty entity to man-mark by frequently gliding past his opposition in an instant and offering himself as an available outlet in attack around the penalty area.

Despite having been played in numerous positions in his breakthrough season- indeed- he has played off the left wing, as a No. 10 and as a box-to-box midfielder, his attributes are not restricted in any of these positions and Aouar does not mind where he is positioned.

He told L’Equippe in November: “I’ve always played in the middle, so the role of the hard-working midfielder is the one that I like most- but I like the left wing, too. It allows me to work and to develop other skills. I’ll adapt to anything. It doesn’t matter where I play, I know it’s my chance and I’ll play anywhere to take it!”

His markedly innate ability to pick a defence-splitting pass has often been an ideal component for the pacey options further up the park including Bertrand Traore, Memphis Depay and Mariano Diaz. Indeed, his ease in either attacking on the counter with imposing bursts into the box or in playing within tight-knit spaces in oppositions’ box- frequently with Nabil Fekir- gives Lyon variation in their attack that served them well for the majority of the season.

Aouar’s excellent decision making on the point of receiving the ball on the counter attack is one of the 19-year old’s most mature formidable qualities, consistently the correct incisive forward pass, frequently precipitating a Lyon chance.

His wide array of imposing playing qualities at such a young age will not only make Aouar a crucial part of Lyon’s plans in 2018/19, but will prompt the club’s hierarchy to do what is necessary to ensure the young prodigy is with them for the foreseeable future. We are undeniably talking about a player who is the epitome of the modern day midfielder.

He remains grounded and strongly retains an emotional bond with his hometown city. “I give a lot of importance to my family and the city of Lyon, and I’m happy I decided to stay”. Aouar also stresses the importance of his family around him in this breakout period of his career, “I still live with my mum- She’s done everything for me and I feel great at her place. She brings me equilibrium. Playing in big matches and having cameras trained on, afterwards to go back to her place, it allows me to keep on my feet on the ground- that’s important”.

World Cup 2018: Denmark’s re-defined style sure to offer difficulties to Group C opposition

For many going into Russia 2018, some will struggle, at least initially, to comprehend a World Cup without traditional leading European football nations like Italy and the Netherlands.

Those with such reservations will take consolation from the fact that Denmark, a country amongst this pantheon of established countries, has successfully negotiated their way to the tournament for the first time since 2010.

The halcyon period for the national team was known as “The Danish Dynamite” era, a chapter in the history of the Danish side from Euro 84 to the World Cup of 1986 where the country could enjoy the presence of true footballing mavericks in Michael Laudrup and a certain Preben Elkjaer.

Despite a scintillating group stage performance in Mexico, winning all three games against West Germany, Uruguay and Scotland- scoring nine goals in the process- they crashed out of the tournament in the second round as they were thrashed 5-1 by Spain.

In a more recent 15-year period, Denmark had enjoyed mixed success under former Ajax coach Morten Olsen, with a devout belief of playing possession football according to the adhered Dutch principle.

However, following consecutive failures to qualify for the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 respectively, Olsen was sacked.

In came new manager Age Hareide, the Norwegian who in his last domestic role had won the Allsvenskan title with Malmo, earning Champions League qualification in the process.

The first half of their World Cup qualifying campaign naturally became somewhat transitional for a developing team under Hareide, who sought to swiftly implement a more direct style onto his team. Indeed, a 4-0 demolition of group-leaders Poland in September caught the attention of many and was indicative of the momentum the Danes were gathering towards the closing quarter of the qualifiers.

Hareide’s men saw out 2017 unbeaten, a run which included a 5-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland in the qualification playoff, inspired by their outstanding playmaker, Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen, who had notched a hat-trick in the rout at the Aviva Stadium.

Not only possessing the gift for a defence-splitting pass, Eriksen is a threatening presence from dead-ball situations with consistent world-class execution. Aside from his technical qualities, his biggest asset is his prolificacy. 11 goals in the qualifying stages was a tally remarkably only bettered by Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo in Europe.

Whilst Eriksen is undoubtedly the heartbeat of the team and whose influence will very much underpin whether Denmark will be able to qualify ahead of group stage opponents including France, Peru and Australia, he is complemented by an altogether well-balanced spine of a side tailored to Hareide’s playing style.

In front of the commanding Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, Brentford’s Andreas Bjelland and Sevilla’s experienced Simon Kjaer form a reliable centre-back pairing with Andrea Christensen a ready-made alternate choice.

Alongside Eriksen in the centre of midfield, Werder Bremen’s Thomas Delaney will be hoping to impress on the world stage this summer to build on his impressive Bundesliga season and to potentially show his worth to high-profile suitors. A natural box-to-box midfielder, he was Denmark’s highest scorer in qualifying after Eriksen with four goals.

Up front, the quality of RB Leipzig’s Yussuf Poulsen and Martin Braithwaite- who recently returned to form during a loan spell at Bordeaux- should mean the Danes need not rely on the seasoned forward Nicklas Bendtner- currently plying his trade at Norwegian club Rosenborg- for a supply of goals.

Wolfsburg stuttering nervously to survival

When Bruno Labbadia was announced as the new manager of Wolfsburg two months ago, supporters of the struggling Bundesliga club were under no illusions as to the reasons behind such as appointment: imperative survival. His arrival was announced less than 24 hours after Martin Schmidt’s resignation, with the club perched just a point above the relegation play-off spot. Labbadia, a coach that comes with a certain label attached- that of relegation-battle specialist, earning this tag from successful battles against the drop at Stuttgart and Hamburg respectively.

Six weeks later, and Wolfsburg remain in a parlous position after their 0-0 stalemate at home to Augsburg on Friday evening, an uninspiring encounter that resulted in a player sent off for either side in the second half.

It was the fourth time in five matches that Die Wölfe failed to score; but, more immediately, was seen as a golden opportunity missed to put daylight between themselves and Mainz in the relegation play-off position. Events on Monday evening proved just so- between the meeting of the two clubs directly below, Mainz and Freiburg. The former emerged victorious- be it in the midst of sheer VAR pandemonium, subsequently leapfrogging their opposition. The relegation play-off scenario is now tighter than ever with all three clubs’ sitting disconcertingly on 30 points- Freiburg currently occupy the play-off spot due to their most inferior goal difference.

Labbadia’s arrival in February failed to yield any instant upturn in fortunes or any sign of a “new manager bounce”, earning just one point from his first four games in charge, signifying the club’s decline and reaffirming the urgent need for an antidote.

Their 2-0 victory at Freiburg on 7 April was crucial, and tellingly, the triumph was the first time they had scored two goals in a game in 2018. There was, however, a distinct imbalance and lack of ideas to their play against Augsburg, despite an increased sense of purpose in the second period. But such a dearth in confidence and profligacy has been synonymous of the last two, turbulent campaigns at the Volkswagen Arena.

Their current stagnation feels light years away from the stable partnership enjoyed under sporting director Klaus Allofs and head coach Dieter Hecking- those heady heights of a Bundesliga runners-up spot, a DfB Pokal trophy and Champions League football. Both departed in the final quarter of 2016, precipitating a change in the club’s fortunes and, remarkably, since then, four head coaches have been and gone.

Aside from a concerning managerial turnover rate, Wolfsburg’s pratfalls from this season and last can also be attributed to an unconvincing use of the transfer market rather than lack of investment. Signings that include the highly-rated Spanish midfielder Ignacio Camacho, the £15m defender John Brooks- a record fee for an American footballer, Divock Origi and the January signing from Leverkusen- Admir Mehmedi, are all yet to make any kind of significant, consistent impact.

An ominous final quartet of fixtures lies ahead. Daunting away trips to Borussia Monchengladbach and European-chasing RB Lepzig will require much of the defensive qualities shown to achieve a hat-trick of clean sheets from recent encounters; whilst home games to Hamburg and Koln, both sides helplessly marooned at the foot of the Bundesliga, may well have seismic implications for Wolfsburg.

Lille fans turn on players as relegation looms

This season will certainly be one that will live long in the memory for supporters of LOSC Lille. The 2011/12 Ligue 1 Champions are fully embroiled in an all-encompassing relegation battle that is threatening to demote them to the second division for the first time in eighteen years. One of the most disturbing factors behind their current plight is that it is the off-pitch chaos that has exacerbated the evident footballing issues and may yet hammer the final nail in their top-flight coffin.

During their recent draw with Montpellier at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, hundreds of Lille supporters felt it was time to make their feelings felt by invading the pitch upon the final whistle. Holding their European-chasing counterparts to a 1-1 draw would hardly be seen as a bad result in the context of their season- but anger has been brewing for some time in this region of Northern France and there was a feeling that things had reached boiling point. The moment the final whistle blew, fans behind Benjamin Lecomte’s goal began to stream onto the pitch in numbers and sprinted in the direction of their own players with menace. Thankfully, the club’s stewards ran from all directions to prevent deplorable scenes from deteriorating and fortunately, no players suffered any physical harm.

Friday’s 2-1 defeat at Monaco leaves Lille two points from a survival spot with eight games left to play. It is an ominous position but it epitomises a season that has been shredded in turmoil from the moment Gérard Lopez bought the club last year. Results on the pitch have reflected the rash approach to management from the top.

The renowned Marcelo Bielsa was hired as manager last May but was dismissed in December after winning only 5 of his 19 games in charge, with his signings having failed to make any impression. Bielsa is still contesting his sacking, seeking as much as 18 million euros for wrongful dismissal. His replacement, Christophe Galtier, has strived to bring stability and renewed hope to their precarious predicament, admittedly evident in hard-fought draws against Nantes and Lyon and in a vital narrow victory over fellow strugglers Strasbourg. However, late goals shipped to Angers and Nice have once again underlined Lille’s undeniable fragilities.

Off the pitch, the club’s financial state was not helped by Bielsa’s considerable net spend last summer and is currently deemed so unhealthy that the French footballing authorities have inflicted a transfer embargo- whilst there will unequivocally be further punishment to come from the violent fan protest ignominy.

Captain Ibrahim Amadou expressed his unhappiness at the events after the recent Montpellier game: “The fans reacted as if the Championship was over and we’ve already gone down. There are nine matches left”. Chelsea forward Eden Hazard also conveyed his sadness at his former club’s plight on his Twitter account: “This evening, I’m hurting for my Lille. Remember, stay united and together in the good times just as in the most difficult moments.”

Hazard’s directives are particularly relevant, with a vital home game to be played against fellow relegation strugglers Amiens on 1 April. Les Dogues must do all they possibly can on the pitch to sustain Ligue 1 survival hopes. Matters off the pitch will have to be forgotten- for the moment.

By Hal Walker (@HalWalker)

Toulouse struggling to address slide

A 0-0 stalemate on Saturday evening at the Stade de la Licorne to fellow strugglers Amiens was damaging for Toulouse in the sense that they now sit just a solitary point above the relegation zone. Despite playing against 10 men for the last quarter of the game, Toulouse were unable to muster any quality to earn a much-needed victory. The encounter was synonymous of their season as a whole thus far, as a rather ominous shadow hangs over the club from South West France.

Having sacked Pascal Dupraz a month ago, the club moved to appoint former player Mickaёl Debève as his successor. Despite narrow victories that were earned in somewhat fortuitous circumstances (against an injury-ravaged Nice and a 10-man Troyes side), an amalgam of negative tactics and a consistent penchant to select experience over youth in the first x11, is a direct concern for the supporters. Crashing out of the Coupe de France at the hands of Ligue 2 side Bourg-en-Bresse has certainly done nothing to improve the mood at the club.

The general consensus amongst the French media and the club’s supporters is that the management seem compelled to prefer established players, primarily due to a direct fear of relegation as a result of previous counterproductive transfer windows.

Since selling prized goal-scorers Martin Braithwaite and Wissam Ben Yedder in the summers of 2016 and 2017 respectively, the club have not re-invested in the forward line; instead signing established midfielders on substantial wages (for a club the size of Toulouse). Such recruits include the well-travelled Jimmy Durmaz, Yaya Sanogo, Ola Toivonen, Yannick Cahuzac, Giannelli Imbula and Max-Alain Gradel. Not only have the club failed to get the best out of their seasoned imports, but their transfer strategy has significantly stunted the growth of their promising youth products- midfield talents like Alexis Blin, Yann Bodiger and promising defenders Issa Diop and Kelvin Amian. Teenage goalkeeper Alban Lafont is a marked exception- recently displaying an outstanding performance against PSG in a 1-0 defeat.

Negligence in the transfer market is seemingly being exacerbated by an over-emphasis on negative tactics that is notably unsuited to numerous individuals in the side. Debève’s arrival has come with a mindset to not concede rather than to score. Frequently deploying a 4-5-1 formation fails to make any use of attacking, pacey outlets like Gradel. That Toulouse are the second-lowest scorers in Ligue 1 reflects the predicament- in fact, only Caen have notched fewer goals this season.

A concurrent criticism of the club by large quarters of French media has been that the young talents within the side are not being allowed to grow or flourish in the current setup- particularly evident during the reign of Pascal Dupraz. After a miraculous escape from relegation in 2015/16, it was thought that highly touted players such as Diop, Blin, Bodiger, and Amian would develop with the club’s ambitions under such a fiery, driven manager. 18 months on and the individuals have not grown to the level that many had hoped or anticipated- hampered by inconsistent tactics and a concerning lack of discipline.

Immediate measures will be taken in the short-term by Debève to ensure Toulouse stay in Ligue 1 this season- an objective that should be attainable given the relative quality of the side. However, if the club’s youth prospects cannot be properly integrated into a structured and cohesive system that promotes their development- it will be a question of when, rather than, if, Toulouse drop out of Ligue 1.

Ligue 1- Battle for the Champions League places

Marseille hit Metz for 6

Marseille secured a huge three points over strugglers Metz on Friday evening, in a topsy-turvy encounter that produced nine goals and featured a hat-trick for the in-form Florian Thauvin.

The victory enabled Les Phocéens to move up to second in Ligue 1, overtaking Lyon in the process and currently sit eleven points behind imperious leaders PSG.

The tone was set for the evening in the first nine minutes, with Rudi Garcia’s side scoring two goals in quick succession to assume control of the game from the outset.

The first came courtesy of Morgan Sansom, who took advantage of some poor defending from Metz in the penalty area, giving the home side the lead in the sixth minute. Sansom was involved again just moments later, crossing to Thauvin- who was able to tuck away a tidy side-footed volley past Metz’s helpless goalkeeper, Eiji Kawashima.

The former Newcastle United winger has been directly involved in 18 goals of his last 19 appearances, scoring 10 and assisting 8. In such form, he was always likely to flourish in this encounter, duly notching his second just before half-time, despite Moussa Niakhate’s desperate attempts to clear.

The points were assured at the start of the second-half, Valere Germain delicately finishing via the post; and shortly after Thauvin completed his hat-trick (his second for the club), neatly converting a header from an exquisite Dimitri Payet cross, in a dominant spell for Marseille.

Defensive flaws were highlighted in the final quarter to slightly cloud a commanding Marseille display. Florent Mollett responded for Metz with a brace, either side of a sixth-goal from Kostas Mitroglou. Ibrahima Niane pulled a third back in stoppage-time to restore some respectability to the scoreline for Metz, who remain bottom and sit an ominous seven points away from a survival position.

Monaco complete unlikely comeback with 10-men

There was a thriller at the Stade Louis II between the other two clubs competing for Champions League places- Monaco and Lyon.

Bruno Génésio’s side made the perfect start in the South of France, acquiring a 2-0 lead within the first half-hour. The first from an audacious, deflected effort from Mariano Diaz, shortly followed by Bertrand Traoré’s close-range finish from Ferland Mendy’s cross.

Lyon held their lead for less than ten minutes. Keita Balde surged forward on a slaloming run and powered an unstoppable low drive past Anthony Lopes. Moments later, Mendy’s needless tug on Kamil Glik enabled Radamel Falcao to draw Monaco level from the penalty-spot, notching his 17^th goal of the season in the process.

The Ligue 1 champions suffered another significant setback, as the goal-scorer Baldé was sent off shortly before half-time for a second bookable offence in the space of four minutes.

Leonardo Jardim’s side were not fazed by the numerical inferiority and completed a remarkable comeback in the 88^th-minute. Stevan Jovetic combined with Rony Lopes, who fired in a rasping low shot past his namesake in the Lyon goal- moving the Champions into third position, one point behind Marseille.

PSG march on

It is 18 goals in 19 games for Neymar, who was on target at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in PSG’s commanding 3-0 win over Lille, to reassume their 11-point lead at the summit of Ligue 1.

The Brazilian scored with a superbly taken 77^th-minute free-kick to seal all three points for Unai Emery’s title-charging side. This came after Yuri Berchiche had taken advantage of Lille’s failure to clear, netting a low shot on the stroke of half-time. Argentine Giovani La Celso delivered Les Parisiens’ coup de grâce, minutes from the end with a superb lob over Mike Maignan from the edge of the penalty area.

Ronaldo drought emblematic of Real’s problems this season

Beyond the halfway point in the La Liga season and one statistic has unsurprisingly remained consistent from the previous eight at the Santiago Bernabeau; Cristiano Ronaldo is Real Madrid’s top scorer in La Liga this campaign. This is where the constancy ends for Real this year and this stat alone, in fact, highlights the sheer, alarming chasm to Barcelona.

Ronaldo’s scoring tally for the season currently sits at 4 La Liga goals (in 14 starts) and his side’s home defeat last weekend to Villarreal confirmed Los Blancos are trailing league leaders Barcelona by an extraordinary 19 points; after Barcelona ensured 3 points with a 4-2 win at Real Sociedad, coming from two goals down at the Anoeta on Sunday evening.

Last Saturday’s home defeat to Villarreal was only symptomatic of Real’s ongoing issues that are facing Zinedine Zidane. As Pablo Fornais produced a floated lob over the helpless Keylor Navas in the 87^th-minute, immediately following the Mexican’s point-blank stop from Enes Unal, Real were left to stew on repeated frustrations felt in their blunt attack.

“Anyone who says we played badly has no idea about football”, Toni Kroos insisted. The German midfielder’s frustration stemming from the fact that his side had produced 28 shots in this game alone. But only 7 of these had forced Villarreal goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo into saves. Two penalty appeals turned down and one Ronaldo shot that hit the bar further summarised the recurring theme.

Villarreal’s players celebrated wildly following their win at the home of the European Champions, as they had every right to. This was the first time they had won at the Bernabeu, at the 19^th attempt. “We’re very happy- this is historic”, Javier Calleja, their coach said delightedly, after the game.

Zidane on the other side of the corridor bemoaned his side’s current crisis, “This is a hard, terrible blow. We did everything we could but the ball just didn’t want to go in. There’s no explanation”.

Many will point to last summer that has proved the downturn in their success. Real have clearly lost their chemistry and quality in depth since the 2017 summer window. Despite the recruitment of promising youngsters like Theo Hernandez and Dani Ceballos, the sales of influential squad players like James Rodriguez, Alvaro Morata and even Mariano Lopez have disrupted the first-team at the Bernabeau.

Ronaldo’s recent response to criticism was “Go look it up on Google…the numbers do not lie”, (in reference to his own goal-scoring record) can be aptly applied to his club’s predicament on the pitch, being as they are admittedly, damming for Zidane’s side. At the halfway point of this season, Real have already lost more games than in their entire 2016/17 title-winning campaign; 11 less points than after this weekend last year. Saturday’s home defeat to Villarreal was their second consecutive, and third in total, home loss this season- the last time they experienced back-to-back home losses in La Liga was eight years ago.

Truly remarkably, this is only the second time in their history they have been this far adrift domestically and in fact, sit closer, in terms of points, to the relegation zone than to the league leaders (16 points above Deportivo La Coruna in 18^th).

10 points behind their city rivals Atletico and 8 behind Marcelinho’s Valencia, domestic Champions League qualification and the preservation of that prized European elite trophy must now be the necessities if Zidane is to save a disastrous campaign.

For their star Ronaldo, success will be determined by a talent he has always possessed in spades- the ability to produce and make the difference on the big occasion; and if the Portuguese number 7 is to net the winner to eliminate Paris Saint Germain from the Champions League last round of 16, just watch his plaudits re-convene in the ever so familiar fervent, devout narrative for the superstar once again.

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