The midweek football action included a game in the Dutch Eredivisie – De Klassieker, a round of games in the Italian Serie A, the second leg of the Copa Libertadores semifinal, the second round of the DFB-Pokal, the fourth round of the EFL Cup, and the first round of both the Copa del Rey and KNVB Cup.
♦️ A deadly flash flood in Valencia has forced football postponements across Spain, resulting in seven of the scheduled 55 matches of the first round of the Copa del Rey being postponed. There were no significant upsets in the games that were played.
♦️ Rodri and Aitana Bonmatí honored with Ballon d’Or awards.
♦️ Napoli firm at the Serie A summit with a solid win over AC Milan.
♦️ The 2024 Copa Libertadores final is set, an all-Brazil final between Atlético Mineiro and Botafogo.
♦️ Ajax ends Feyenoord’s unbeaten streak with a decisive 2-0 win.
♦️ The favored sides triumph on KNVB Cup.
♦️ Borussia Dortmund was knocked out of the DFB Pokal by Wolfsburg, the only upset in the round.
♦️ Tottenham, Crystal Palace, and Newcastle edged past strong opposition in the EFL Cup to advance to the quarterfinals, joining Arsenal, Brentford, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Southampton.
♦️ Sporting CP, Benfica, Braga, and Porto advanced to the Portuguese League Cup semifinal.
♦️ Dybala’s lone goal lifts Roma past Torino, ending a three-game winless streak.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
🇮🇹 Italian Serie A
Cagliari ( 0 ) – ( 2 ) Bologna
Lecce ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Hellas Verona
AC Milan ( 0 ) – ( 2 ) Napoli
Bologna earned a solid 2-0 win over Cagliari, opening a three-point gap over them with a game in hand. Riccardo Orsolini found the net in the 35th minute, and Jens Odgaard added another in the 51st to secure the points.
Lecce edged Hellas Verona with a 1-0 win. Reda Belahyane was shown a yellow card in the 26th minute, followed by a red for Jackson Tchatchoua in the 40th, leaving Hellas Verona a man down. Patrick Dorgu scored the game’s only goal in the 51st minute, and Belahyane’s second yellow in the 82nd left Verona with nine men to close out the match.
Napoli maintained their position at the top of the Serie A standings with a 2-0 win over AC Milan. Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring in the 5th minute, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added another in the 43rd, securing a controlled victory for Napoli.
🌎 Copa Libertadores – Semifinal
River Plate ( 0 ) – ( 0 ) Atlético Mineiro (0-3 agg)
Atlético Mineiro entered the game with a 3-goal advantage from the first leg, and the tie’s outcome was as expected. Atlético Mineiro moved on to the Copa Libertadores final at River Plate’s expense after a goalless draw in Buenos Aires.
🏴 EFL Cup – Fourth Round
Southampton ( 3 ) – ( 2 ) Stoke City
Brentford* ( 1 ) – ( 1 ) Sheffield Wednesday
Premier League clubs Southampton and Brentford hosted teams from the second division, Stoke City and Sheffield Wednesday respectively, and won their fixtures to advance in the EFL Cup. Brentford survived the penalty shootout to win 5-4 after a 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, while a late goal in the 88th minute from James Bree allowed Southampton to secure the win and avoid shootouts.
🇪🇸 Copa del Rey – First Round
Villamuriel ( 0 ) – ( 5 ) Rayo Vallecano
Compostela ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Alavés
Lanzarote ( 3 ) – ( 4 ) Racing Santander
Guijuelo ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Ourense CF
Astur ( 1 ) – ( 4 ) Valladolid
Poblense ( 1 ) – ( 6 ) Villarreal
Jaén ( 0 ) – ( 3 ) Cádiz
L’Hospitalet ( 1 ) – ( 5 ) Zaragoza
The away teams in the Copa del Rey were the favorites, and on the opening day of the first round, all of them came out on top.
🇳🇱 KNVB Cup – First Round
NEC Nijmegen ( 4 ) – ( 3 ) PEC Zwolle
ADO Den Haag ( 1 ) – ( 4 ) Cambuur
De Graafschap ( 4 ) – ( 1 ) TOP Oss
De Treffers ( 1 ) – ( 4 ) Fortuna Sittard
Excelsior ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) VVV-Venlo
Rijnvogels ( 0 ) – ( 7 ) FC Eindhoven
IJsselmeervogels ( 2 ) – ( 3 ) SC Heerenveen
VV Kolping Boys ( 1 ) – ( 5 ) Groningen
VV Noordwijk ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Dordrecht
Sparta Nijkerk ( 5 ) – ( 1 ) VV Capelle
There were no surprise results in the KNVB Cup on the opening day, as the favored teams in their ties came out on top. NEC Nijmegen knocked out PEC Zwolle in a 4-3 thriller.
🇩🇪 DFB Pokal – Second Round
Bayer Leverkusen ( 3 ) – ( 0 ) Elversberg
Kickers Offenbach ( 0 ) – ( 2 ) Karlsruher
Augsburg ( 3 ) – ( 0 ) Schalke
RB Leipzig ( 4 ) – ( 2 ) St. Pauli
Stuttgart ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Kaiserslautern
FC Köln ( 3 ) – ( 0 ) Holstein Kiel
Wolfsburg ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Borussia Dortmund
Jahn Regensburg ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Greuther Fürth
Borussia Dortmund was knocked out of the DFB Pokal in the second round after losing 1-0 to Wolfsburg, with Jonas Wind scoring the game’s only goal. Other than that, there were no major surprises.
The last 16 of the DFB-Pokal: Arminia Bielefeld, Augsburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Darmstadt, Eintracht Frankfurt, Freiburg, FC Köln, Hertha Berlin, Hoffenheim, Jahn Regensburg, Karlsruher, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart, Werder Bremen, and Wolfsburg
🇵🇹 Portugueuse League Cup
Sporting CP ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) Nacional
Sporting CP, with another domestic win—a 3-1 victory over Nacional—moved on to the semifinals of the Portuguese League Cup.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
🇮🇹 Italian Serie A
Empoli ( 0 ) – ( 3 ) Inter Milan
Venezia ( 3 ) – ( 2 ) Udinese
Atalanta ( 2 ) – ( 0 ) Monza
Juventus ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) Parma
Inter Milan bounced back from their 4-4 home draw against Juventus with an away win over Empoli. Empoli’s task was made harder when they went down to ten men in the 31st minute after Saba Goglichidze picked up a red card. Davide Frattesi scored twice before Lautaro Martinez added another, sealing a 3-0 win for Inter Milan. Empoli has now gone five league games without a win, including three defeats.
Joel Pohjanpalo scored twice, both from penalties, with his second being the game-winning goal in the 86th minute, as Venezia came from 2-0 down to claim a 3-2 win at home against Udinese.
It took 70 minutes to break the deadlock, with Lazar Samardzic scoring the opener for Atalanta. Davide Zappacosta then added a second as Atalanta secured a 2-0 win against Monza.
Juventus came from behind twice to follow up their 4-4 draw with Inter Milan with a 2-2 draw at home against Parma. Despite dropping four points in their last two games, Juventus remains the only unbeaten team in Serie A.
🇳🇱 Dutch Eredivisie
Feyenoord ( 0 ) – ( 2 ) Ajax
Ajax went up a goal in the opening six minutes of the game, thanks to Kenneth Taylor, and added a second before the half-hour mark when Jorrel Hato scored the insurance goal in the 25th minute. Ajax secured a 2-0 away win against Feyenoord, ending Feyenoord’s unbeaten run in the Eredivisie. With the result, Ajax moved up to second place in the league standings with a game in hand.
🌎 Copa Libertadores – Semifinal
Peñarol ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) Botafogo (3-6 agg.)
Peñarol put up a strong fight to recover from a 5-0 first-leg deficit at home against Botafogo, but as many expected, it was an immense mountain to climb. The challenge became even harder when they were reduced to 10 men in the dying minutes of the first half, following a red card for Washington Aguerre. Jaime Báez scored a goal in each half, giving Peñarol some hope of a comeback, but it proved to be too much. The match ended in a 3-1 win for Peñarol, but Botafogo advanced with a 6-3 aggregate victory, setting up an all-Brazil Copa Libertadores final against Atlético Mineiro.
🏴 EFL CUP – Fourth Round
Brighton & Hove Albion ( 2 ) – ( 3 ) Liverpool
Aston Villa ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Crystal Palace
Manchester United ( 5 ) – ( 2 ) Leicester City
Newcastle United ( 2 ) – ( 0 ) Chelsea
Preston North End ( 0 ) – ( 3 ) Arsenal
Tottenham Hotspur ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Manchester City
Despite the league standings, Tottenham edged past Manchester City with a 2-1 win, arguably against the run of play, while Crystal Palace achieved the same 2-1 scoreline against Aston Villa. Newcastle United also defeated Chelsea to secure a place in the quarter-finals. The eight teams advancing to the EFL Cup quarter-finals are Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford, and Southampton.
The quarter-final matchups in the EFL Cup will be:
Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace
Brentford vs. Newcastle United
Liverpool vs. Southampton
Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur
🇪🇸 COPA DEL REY – FIRST ROUND
Europa ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Albacete
Las Rozas ( 0 ) – ( 3 ) Sevilla
Ciudad de Lucena ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Leganés
Olot* ( 1 ) – ( 1 ) Córdoba
Ibiza Islas Pitiusas ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Gimnàstic
Beasain ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Cartagena
Móstoles URJC ( 2 ) – ( 5 ) Burgos
Bergantiños ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Marbella
Langreo ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Orihuela
Cortes ( 0 ) – ( 2 ) Granada
Sant Andreu ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Mirandés
Badalona Futur ( 0 ) – ( 2 ) Huesca
UD Logroñés ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Eibar
Numancia ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Sporting Gijón
Utebo ( 0 ) – ( 4 ) Unionistas
Laredo ( 0 ) – ( 6 ) Yeclano
Juventud Torremolinos ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Zamora
Escobedo ( 0 ) – ( 0 ) Ponferradina*
Lleida ( 1 ) – ( 3 ) Barakaldo
Salamanca ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Alcorcón
Atlético Paso ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Eldense
Coria ( 0 ) – ( 3 ) Elche
Cacereño ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Gimnástica Segoviana
Conquense ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Ibiza
San Pedro ( 1 ) – ( 5 ) Celta Vigo
Extremadura ( 0 ) – ( 4 ) Girona
SS Reyes ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Almería
Águilas ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Castellón
Chiclana ( x ) – ( x ) Osasuna
Xerez ( x ) – ( x ) Ceuta
Pontevedra ( x ) – ( x ) Levante
Parla Escuela ( x ) – ( x ) Valencia
A deadly torrential rain on Tuesday triggered flash floods that swept through the eastern province of Valencia and beyond, disrupting several scheduled football fixtures in Spain. Four matches were postponed that day: Parla Escuela vs. Valencia, Chiclana vs. Osasuna, Xerez vs. Ceuta, and Pontevedra vs. Levante. There were no upsets from the fixtures that went on as scheduled.
🇳🇱 KNVB Cup – first round
BVV Barendrecht ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) NAC Breda
AFC ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) Blauw Geel ’38
VV Eemdijk ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) OJC Rosmalen
Winterswijk ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Heracles Almelo
MVV Maastricht ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Den Bosch
Quick Boys ( 2 ) – ( 3 ) Almere City
Rijnsburgse Boys ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) Roda JC
RKC Waalwijk ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) Vitesse
Genemuiden ( 2 ) – ( 3 ) Willem II
On the second day of the first round of the KNVB Cup, Eredivisie sides like Willem II, RKC Waalwijk, Almere City, and Heracles advanced to the next round, while NAC Breda fell short and did not progress.
🇩🇪 DFB-POKAL – second round
Freiburg ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Hamburger SV
Hertha Berlin ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Heidenheim
Eintracht Frankfurt ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Borussia Mönchengladbach
Paderborn ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Werder Bremen
Arminia Bielefeld ( 2 ) – ( 0 ) Union Berlin
Hoffenheim ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Nürnberg
Dynamo Dresden ( 2 ) – ( 3 ) Darmstadt
Mainz ( 0 ) – ( 4 ) Bayern Munich
On the second day of the second round of the DFB-Pokal, Bayern Munich comfortably advanced at Mainz’s expense. Union Berlin was knocked out by Arminia Bielefeld, Hertha Berlin eliminated Heidenheim, and Frankfurt defeated Mönchengladbach.
🇵🇹 Portugueuse League Cup
Benfica ( 3 ) – ( 0 ) Santa Clara
The game came alive within a 10-minute span after 70 goalless minutes between Benfica and Santa Clara in the Portuguese League Cup quarterfinal. Ángel Di María opened the scoring with the game-winning goal in the 71st minute, and Vangelis Pavlidis followed with two goals (in the 76th and 80th minutes) to secure a comprehensive victory for Benfica.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
🇪🇸 COPA DEL REY – First Round
Vic ( 0 ) – ( 2 ) Atlético Madrid
San Tirso ( 0 ) – ( 4 ) Espanyol
Barbastro ( 4 ) – ( 0 ) Amorebieta
Ávila* ( 0 ) – ( 0 ) Oviedo
Tudelano ( 0 ) – ( 5 ) Minera
Don Benito ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Andorra
Gévora ( 1 ) – ( 6 ) Real Betis
Ontiñena ( 0 ) – ( 7 ) Las Palmas
Cuarte ( 1 ) – ( 3 ) Racing Ferrol
Estepona ( 3 ) – ( 2 ) Málaga
Alfaro ( 0 ) – ( 2 ) Tenerife
Llanera ( 0 ) – ( 2 ) Cultural Leonesa
Manises ( x ) – ( x ) Getafe
Ejea ( x ) – ( x ) Hércules
Jove Español ( x ) – ( x ) Real Sociedad
The deadly torrential rain that triggered flash floods across the eastern province of Valencia and beyond disrupted several scheduled football fixtures in Spain. Three matches were postponed on the day: Manises vs. Getafe, Ejea vs. Hércules, and Jove Español vs. Real Sociedad. Atlético Madrid, Espanyol, Las Palmas, and Real Betis did not disappoint, each picking up a road win to advance.
🇮🇹 ITALIAN SERIE A
Genoa ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Fiorentina
Como ( 1 ) – ( 5 ) Lazio
Roma ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Torino
Robin Gosens’ goal in the 72nd minute was enough for Fiorentina to leave Genoa with a 1-0 win.
Taty Castellanos scored twice, with the opener coming from a penalty in the 28th minute, as Lazio thrashed Como 5-1 on the day.
Paulo Dybala scored the only goal for Roma in a 1-0 home win against Torino, helping his team recover from a 5-1 defeat to Fiorentina in the previous round and ending a run of three league games without a win.
🇳🇱 KNVB CUP – First Round
USV Hercules ( 1 ) – ( 6 ) Sparta Rotterdam
VV DOVO ( 1 ) – ( 5 ) Volendam
Lisse ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Utrecht
Koninklijke HFC ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Emmen
Quick ’20 ( 0 ) – ( 2 ) ASWH
Spakenburg ( 2 ) – ( 4 ) Katwijk
Telstar ( 3 ) – ( 0 ) Helmond Sport
Sparta Rotterdam and Volendam picked up big wins, with a 6-1 victory and a 5-1 victory respectively, to advance from the first round of the KNVB Cup alongside Utrecht and four other teams.
🇵🇹 PORTUGUESE LEAGUE CUP
Braga ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Vitória de Guimarães
Porto ( 2 ) – ( 0 ) Moreirense
Braga and Porto were both winners at home to advance in the Portuguese League Cup. Braga came from a goal down to knock out Vitória de Guimarães with a 2-1 score, while Porto secured a 2-0 win against Moreirense.
