European football round-up: Barcelona stunned by Hercules
As debuts go, they don’t come much better than scoring two goals against Barcelona at the Nou Camp to inflict the Catalan giants’ first league defeat at home for 16 months.
So, take a bow, Nelson Valdez. Because that’s exactly how the 26-year-old forward’s Hercules debut panned out on Saturday evening.
In the shock result of the weekend, Pep Guardiola’s men failed to break down the heroic newly-promoted side on their own turf. Lionel Messi, David Villa and new signing Javier Mascherano all featured, but it was Valdez who stole the headlines with a superb brace in a 2-0 win.
Real Madrid duly capitalised on their rivals’ misfortune with a 1-0 victory over Osasuna at the Bernabeu. Many would have predicted a home win, but few would have correctly guessed the match-winner. Summer signing Ricardo Carvalho was on hand to seal the points for Real with a close-range tap-in early in the second half.
The hard-to-please Madrid faithful might not have been overly convinced with their team’s performance, although Mesut Özil was undoubtedly a bright spark. Regardless of the narrow scoreline and the fans’ desire for more goals, the club’s manager José Mourinho was left perfectly satisfied.
There was also a big shock in Italy as another newly-promoted side stunned a major player of European football.
AC Milan may now boast one the most star-studded forward lines in world football, but this didn’t even remotely faze their opponents Cesena on Saturday night. Goals from Erjon Bogdani and Emanuele Giaccherini secured a famous 2-0 victory over the Rossoneri and lifted the club to fourth in the Serie A table.
Meanwhile, Claudio Ranieri’s AS Roma were embarrassed by Cagliari at the Stadio Sant'Elia. A 5-1 scoreline left the former Chelsea manager hurt and disappointed, and it’s now believed that Ranieri has asked for more time before deciding whether to sign a long-term contract with the Giallorossi.
Over in Germany, the eagerly-anticipated clash between Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen certainly lived up to expectations, even though the final score ended 0-0. In an end-to-end tie at the Allianz Arena, neither side managed to break the deadlock despite their best efforts.
Hoffenheim are still top of the Bundesliga after they recorded a 2-0 win over Schalke. Isaac Vorsah gave the home side a first half lead before Manuel Neuer’s late own goal handed Hoffenheim their third consecutive win of the new campaign.
And finally, in France, Lyon continue to struggle at the start of this new Ligue 1 season. Jeremy Pied got the hosts of the perfect start against Valanciennes, but Lyon were pegged back mid-way through the second half after defender Gaetan Bong headed the visitors a crucial equaliser.
The match finished 1-1, and Lyon find themselves in unfamiliar territory - 16th after five matches.
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