Top 10 Performances from Around the World for Weekend of Oct 17-19
The first weekend back with club football after the recent international break has brought with it all sorts of large scorelines, impressive performances and big results from the major leagues around the globe.
We've taken our usual Monday look at each of the top flights and compiled our list of the top 10 performances of the weekend, this time including big hitters from Spain, England, Italy, Germany and more.
Many of the clubs listed here are among the very best in Europe—but one who wouldn't generally be placed in that category tops them all this time around.
10. AC Milan
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AC Milan took a lot of flak last season for some very average performances and results, so it's only right that, early league table though it is, they get some credit for a decent start and a big performance this weekend.
Pippo Inzaghi's team are up into the top four after a 3-1 win away to Hellas Verona, inflicting only a second defeat of the season on last year's 10th-place side.
Keisuke Honda scored twice to continue his recent hot streak, with Rafael Marques netting an own goal and later seeing almost-name-sake Rafael Marquez sent off.
9. Borussia Monchengladbach
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In the Bundesliga, Borussia Monchengladbach made it three defeats on the spin for Hannover 96 with a crushing 3-0 win away from home. 'Gladbach themselves have made an excellent start to the campaign, and sit second, unbeaten this season, after overcoming their latest opponents.
Max Kruse scored a brace, hitting the target either side of Granit Xhaka's strike, to make it three wins in the last four for Lucien Favre's side.
'Gladbach will very much be harbouring hopes of a top-four finish this season after their own good start, coupled with the struggles of the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Schalke.
8. Roma
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Back to Italy, Roma swept aside Chievo with a dominant and convincing 3-0 home win on Saturday in Serie A.
The game was wrapped up and won by half-time after Adem Ljajic, Mattia Destro and Francesco Totti all scored for the second-placed side in the table, though they continued to dominate the game and play with their usual technique and swagger throughout.
Six wins and just one defeat—to champions Juventus—have Roma looking forward to another big campaign.
7. Manchester City
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Manchester City swept aside Tottenham Hotspur by a 4-1 scoreline in the Premier League in England on Saturday, though the match was much closer than the scoreline suggests for the opening hour.
Sergio Aguero, of course, was the key man for the reigning champions, netting all four goals, including two from the penalty spot. The Argentinian forward also missed a third penalty, but more than made amends with the rest of his finishing.
City defended well for the most part and were clearly the superior side over the full 90 minutes, having the consistency and endurance that Tottenham couldn't match, along with that extra quality in the final third.
6. Deportivo La Coruna
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Over in Spain's La Liga, Valencia have been making waves with their good performances and results early on this season—so huge props to Deportivo La Coruna for putting an end to that with a surprise 3-0 win over Los Che this week.
Valencia had plenty of possession but Depor inarguably did far more with the ball, looking threatening and incisive when going forward and showing good resilience and organisation in defence.
An own goal and strikes from Lucas Perez and Toche see Depor move out of the drop zone up to 15th.
5. Bayern Munich
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Top vs. bottom doesn't always work out the way you expect it to, in any league, but it certainly did this weekend in the Bundesliga where Bayern Munich wiped the floor with Werder Bremen.
Bremen already had the leakiest defence in the top flight in Germany and Bayern ruthlessly exposed that, putting six past them without reply as Mario Gotze and Philipp Lahm in particular both showed their range of attributes.
Bayern's dominance was typically complete, and they continued their recent clinical edge in front of goal too. A return to action for Franck Ribery was another big plus for the top-placed side in Germany.
4. CSKA Moscow
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The Russian Premier League is quickly, and unusually, shaping up into a two-horse race this season. Zenit St. Petersburg are still unbeaten and top, while CSKA Moscow are well and truly over their poor start and picked up a fifth-straight victory this weekend.
They dispatched Kuban Krasnodar, third in the table at the start of play, by a 6-0 scoreline on Saturday, taking control early on and finishing strongly to send out a big message ahead of their home game with Zenit in two weeks.
Ahmed Musa and Seydou Doumbia both scored twice; CSKA are two points behind Zenit in the table.
3. Olympique Lyon
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Olympique Lyon are the second-highest scorers in France's Ligue 1 this season, behind only leaders Marseille, and moved into the top four in the table with another big win at the weekend.
Lyon dispatched Montpellier by a 5-1 scoreline, showing a very creative and attacking intent throughout the game and having the quality in the final third to make those chances count.
Alexandre Lacazette continued his scoring start to the season by hitting his eighth of the campaign, after 10 games, while Yoann Gourcuff also scored twice.
2. Real Madrid
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European champions Real Madrid picked up their fifth consecutive victory in La Liga at the weekend, thumping Levante by a 5-0 scoreline, and it could easily have been more in a match of total domination.
Since losing back to back league games, Real have gone on to take 15 points from five games, scoring 25 goals in the process. The performance against Levante was a pretty good indication of their displays during that time: resolute, fast-paced, clinical.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice more and Isco, James Rodriguez and Javier Hernandez all added further efforts, with Real moving to third in the table.
1. Southampton
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The top performance of the weekend goes to English Premier League side Southampton, who clocked up a massive 8-0 scoreline against Sunderland.
The Saints were admittedly helped along the way by some very bizarre attempts at football in general by the Black Cats, but Ronald Koeman's side were nonetheless worthy victors by an enormous scoreline. They gave no respite to their opponents even when five or six clear and rightly take the plaudits of the weekend.
Two own goals, two strikes from Graziano Pelle and a great display from Dusan Tadic leaves Southampton third in the league table and top of our list for the weekend.
