Harry Kane scored his third Bundesliga hat-trick as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in Der Klassiker at Signal Iduna Park.
Bayern produced the perfect response to an embarrassing DFB-Pokal exit to third division Saarbrucken as Dayot Upamecano gave them an early lead before Kane added a second after just nine minutes.
The England captain then struck twice more after the break, completing his treble in added time, to make it 15 goals in 10 league games and put Bayern two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Alejandro Grimaldo scored twice as Leverkusen earlier won 3-2 at Hoffenheim.
Florian Wirtz put the visitors ahead early on, with Grimaldo adding a second just ahead of the break.
Two goals in as many minutes from Anton Stach and Wout Weghorst had Hoffenheim level on the hour.
Grimaldo, though, struck again with 20 minutes left to secure unbeaten Leverkusen a sixth straight Bundesliga win.
RB Leipzig suffered an unexpected 2-0 defeat at strugglers Mainz, who moved off the bottom.
Lee Jae-Sung and Leandro Barreiro scored in the closing stages to give new boss Jan Siewert a win in his first game in charge.
Cologne now sit bottom after a 1-1 home draw with Augsburg, while two early goals for Omar Marmoush set Eintracht Frankfurt on their way to a 3-0 win at Union Berlin.
Vincenzo Grifo’s last-minute penalty saw Freiburg fight back to draw 3-3 with Borussia Monchengladbach.
In LaLiga, Ronald Araujo’s last-gasp header gave Barcelona a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad.
The defending LaLiga champions had captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen to thank after the German goalkeeper made several crucial saves to keep an energetic Sociedad side at bay.
Xavi’s men struggled to muster any genuine openings until the final embers of the match and cruelly took all three points when Araujo planted a powerful header through the legs of goalkeeper Alex Remiro, which was initially ruled offside, with virtually the last attack to seal the 1-0 victory.
Leaders Girona consolidated their place at the top of the table with a 4-2 win at Osasuna.
Youssef En-Nesyri scored a late equaliser as Sevilla fought back to draw 1-1 at strugglers Celta Vigo, who had midfielder Renato Tapia sent off midway through the second half.
William Jose and Ayoze Perez were on target as Real Betis beat 10-man Mallorca 2-0 to sit fifth.
Udinese heaped more pressure on AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli with a 1-0 win at San Siro for their first Serie A victory this season.
Roberto Pereyra’s penalty just after the hour proved decisive as the Rossoneri slumped to a second successive home defeat and saw their winless run extend to four matches in all competitions.
Inter Milan kept themselves top of the table with a 2-1 victory over Atalanta under heavy rain at Gewiss Stadium.
Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty broke the deadlock five minutes before half-time and Inter captain Lautaro Martinez doubled his side’s lead in the 57th minute.
Gianluca Scamacca swiftly pulled a goal back, but Inter closed out victory, with Atalanta substitute Rafael Toloi sent off for a second yellow late on.
Reigning champions Napoli had earlier moved into the top four with a 2-0 win at Salernitana through a first-half goal from Giacomo Raspadori and Elif Elmas’ late strike.
In Ligue 1, Marseille played out a low-key goalless draw at home with Lille.
It was the first game at the Stade Velodrome since the fixture with Lyon was called off after the visitors’ team bus had been pelted with stones on the way to the ground, with coach Fabio Grosso having suffered facial injuries.
Earlier, it also finished 0-0 between Lorient and Lens.
LaLiga runners-up finish very difficult for Girona, boss Michel says
Michel knows it will not be easy for Girona to secure a second-place finish in LaLiga after they slipped to a 1-0 home loss to Villarreal on Tuesday.
But the players will give their all to try and finish an impressive season on a high, the coach vowed.
After losing at home to Villarreal, Girona are third on 75 points, one behind Barcelona, who have a game in hand.
"I see it as very difficult," Michel told reporters. "Barca are already in second place with two wins and can win all three games. It's a very complicated situation for second place.
"I see everyone in the team really fired up. These players just have to be applauded for the season they are having.
"After winning against Barcelona we had two games we could have won and we only got one point."
Girona visit Valencia, ninth in the league, on Sunday. They conclude their campaign at home against lowly-ranked Granada on May 25. Barca's remaining league fixtures include Almeria, Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla.
Michel was nevertheless proud of his team and the fans despite the disappointing result.
"They [the fans] have shown us that they are with the team, that they are happy with the way we do things. They know that together we are much stronger. I am very proud of the fans," the Spaniard said.
With their best finish of 10th coming in the 2017-18 and 2022-23 campaigns, Girona's place in next season's Champions League is in doubt.
According to The Times, Premier League reigning champions Manchester City and their sister club Girona will not both be able to compete in the tournament unless Abu Dhabi's City Football Group, who acquired 47 per cent of the LaLiga club in 2017, reduce their shareholding in one of the teams.
Kroos for the Ballon d'Or? Why not, says Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti has backed Toni Kroos for this year's Ballon d'Or if Real Madrid and Germany win the Champions League and Euro 2024 respectively.
With another LaLiga title under their belts, Madrid are into the Champions League final after they overcame Kroos' former club Bayern Munich in the last four.
Borussia Dortmund stand in Los Blancos' way of a record-extending 15th European crown.
And Kroos, who has come out of international retirement in order to boost Germany's Euro 2024 chances, has played a key role in Madrid's success this term.
In fact, he has been so good, that Ancelotti cannot see why the Ballon d'Or would not be a possibility.
"The Ballon d'Or for Kroos? Well, anything can happen," Ancelotti told reporters after Madrid hammered Alaves 5-0 on Tuesday.
"If he wins the Champions League and the Euro. I think he can do a double. Germany can win with Kroos."
Kroos has played 46 times in all competitions for Madrid this season, with only Joselu, Rodrygo and Federico Valverde making more appearances.
The 34-year-old leads Madrid's squad for chances created (85), while he is second for assists (nine) and expected assists (7.6).
He has attempted 3,257 passes, over 500 more than any of his club-mates, completing 3,083 of them (94.6 per cent).
However, his immediate future is not yet certain, though Ancelotti is not concerned.
"At the moment, we are not worried about what he is going to do, neither am I, nor the club, nor Toni," the Italian added.
"Until June 1, this is a secondary issue. We are now thinking about winning the Champions League."
Madrid now want to make the most of their remaining LaLiga games as they prepare for their showdown with BVB.
"These games are important to maintain the rhythm, the good dynamics, the motivation and the good play. There are two weeks left. Now we'll rest for a few days and next week we'll do some physical work. In the second week we will do tactical work," Ancelotti said.
"For me as a coach, it's the best season. The team has been fantastic, we deservedly won LaLiga. We're on a cloud, but we have to keep going because we haven't played the most important game yet.
"This team has a lot of talent. Very young people with a lot of quality. It has the opportunity to mark an era in the future, given the value of the youngsters we have."
Girona 0-1 Villarreal: Traore strike lifts Yellow Submarine
Bertrand Traore's goal gave Villarreal a 1-0 win at Girona on Tuesday that prevented the hosts from reclaiming second spot in LaLiga.
Girona, who have enjoyed a superb campaign, are third with 75 points, trailing Barcelona, who moved a point clear with a 2-0 home win over Real Sociedad on Monday.
Alexander Sorloth and Goncalo Guedes went close for Villarreal in the first half, but Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga was in fine form.
Traore broke the deadlock in the 59th minute after latching on to a superb pass from Guedes, however.
Viktor Tsyhankov, Savio and Artem Dovbyk all went close for Girona, but could not find the back of Filip Jorgensen's net.
Villarreal were reduced to 10 men in the 95th minute after Kiko Femenia was sent off for a second yellow card after a push on Aleix Garcia.
Data Debrief: Rare home loss for Girona
Girona have suffered only their second defeat at Montilivi in LaLiga this season, following a 0-3 loss to Real Madrid in September.
The home side attempted 749 passes in this game, their highest total in a single match in LaLiga this season.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
