Elsewhere in Germany, both Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, who are first and second on the table respectively, dropped points this weekend. Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid at the Calderon in the Kings Cup semi-finals while Real Madrid’s league game against Celta Vigo was postponed.
Also read: EPL 2016/17: 10 things we learned from Gameweek 24
Since this week has been all about goals, this week’s five best moments from Europe are all goals. Take a look:
#1 Celtic’s team goal filled with flair vs St.Johnstone
Perhaps the most stunning goal of the week came from Scotland where Celtic secured yet another victory thanks to a hat-trick from Moussa Dembele. With Celtic leading 4-2 against St.Johnstone, Dembele passed the ball to Mikael Lustig, the vice-captain of this Celtic team.
Lustig then played a rabonna pass towards the centre of the box where Callum McGregor made a run. McGregor controlled the ball and backheeled it towards Moussa Dembele, who neatly placed the ball towards the left corner of the net to make it 5-2 on the night for Celtic.
With 70 points in 24 games (23 wins, 1 draw) Celtic have pretty much sealed the deal in Scotland, with their closest rivals Aberdeen 27 points shy of the league leaders.
#2 Luis Suarez solo goal vs Atletico Madrid
Barcelona drew Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. In the first leg that took place at the Vicente Calderon, the Catalans scored two vital away goals and secured an invaluable 2-1 victory over the home team.
Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi were the goal scorers for Barcelona on a night where they weren’t at their most convincing. It was a night of great individual performances for the visitors and Luis Suarez was certainly at his best.
The Uruguayan striker received the ball from a classic Javier Mascherano tackle and made his trademark sprint towards goal, before neatly slotting the ball into the bottom corner, making it 1-0 within the first few minutes of the game.
#3 Eden Hazard’s solo goal vs Arsenal
Another goal that made headlines this week was Eden Hazard’s against Arsenal that put Chelsea 2-0 up on Saturday. Hazard picked the ball up around the centre circle to sprint all the way towards Petr Cech’s goal.
On his way, he battled past Francis Coquelin and beat him for strength and pace. As he entered the danger area, he toyed with Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi, beat both the defenders and finally his former teammate, Petr Cech as well.
Eden Hazard is finally back to form after a poor season last year, which saw Chelsea finish 10th in the league.
#4 David Luiz’s free kick vs Liverpool
Yet another goal that left the fans in awe this week came from David Luiz, another Chelsea player. In a week where Chelsea had two tough fixtures – against two of the top six teams – it was some fantastic individual goals that saw them come out on top with an extended lead at the end of it.
Against Liverpool, the Blues received a free kick from quite a distance away from goal thanks to a foul on Eden Hazard. With Willian and David Luiz both standing over the ball for the free kick, it was the defender who went ahead and tried his luck.
With Liverpool’s goalkeeper Simon Mignolet still not ready, the ball curled into the left side of the goal, hit the post and slid into the back of the net.
#5 Naldo’s all-round performance sees Bayern drop points at home
Bayern Munich hosted FC Schalke 04 on Saturday in game week 19 of the Bundesliga. The German giants quickly managed to take a lead thanks to a goal from striker Robert Lewandowski. However, Schalke levelled the scoreline four minutes later through Naldo.
After scoring for his team, Naldo put in an incredible defensive performance and was a rock at the back for his side. Thanks to his performance, his team managed to hold on for a draw in a game where Bayern Munich missed a number of great chances.
Despite this draw, Ancelotti’s side would not be too concerned as their closest rivals RB Leipzig lost their game against Borussia Dortmund which effectively extended the Bavarians’ lead at the top to four points.
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