Chaos in France, Mbappe shines, and drama in London Derby: Weekend Highlights

The weekend brought thrilling action across Europe's top leagues, highlighted by a heated London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea.

France lived up to its reputation for having Europe's craziest fans. Montpellier, fighting relegation, hosted Saint-Étienne. The match descended into chaos as fans repeatedly launched flares onto the pitch, igniting banners and causing panic in the stands. Eventually, the referee was forced to abandon the game.

In England, Chelsea and Arsenal clashed in a highly anticipated London derby. Arsenal’s hero was again Mikel Merino, who continued his habit of scoring vital goals — securing crucial points against Liverpool, Brentford, Leicester, and now Chelsea. His strike led Arsenal to a 1-0 victory, reinforcing his role as a key player for the Gunners. Meanwhile, Manchester City stumbled with a draw against Brighton, and Chelsea lost crucial points.

Nottingham Forest capitalized, gaining ground after top teams faltered.

In Spain, Atlético Madrid hosted Barcelona in a headline match, but attention shifted earlier to Real Madrid’s dramatic win against Villarreal. Kylian Mbappé shined, netting two crucial goals before halftime to overturn an early deficit. Despite the French star’s brilliance, Real Madrid struggled in the second half, barely creating scoring opportunities.

Napoli missed a golden opportunity to top Serie A after drawing 0-0 with Venezia, handing an advantage to rivals Inter and Atalanta. Bologna stunned Lazio with a 5-0 thrashing, securing their fourth consecutive victory, the second-best streak behind Roma.

In Germany, Bayern Munich dropped points against Union Berlin, conceding a late equalizer. Despite this, Bayern extended their lead due to Bayer Leverkusen’s slip-up. Freiburg halted Freiburg’s impressive run, earning a valuable point.

RB Leipzig secured an important victory, overcoming their slump by beating a struggling Borussia Dortmund side 2-0, scoring once in each half.

Published by Patrick Jane
17.03.2025