Harry Kane netted a brace as Bayern Munich maintained their pursuit of the Bundesliga championship with a 3-2 triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Aleksandar Pavlovic initiated the goal-scoring for Vincent Kompany’s squad in the 16th minute, prior to Kane finding the net on two unanswered occasions for the titleholders.
Frankfurt, however, mounted a spirited comeback with 13 minutes left on the clock, thanks to Jonathan Burkardt’s 77th-minute spot-kick and Arnaud Kalimuendo’s 86th-minute strike.
Nevertheless, Bayern maintained their lead, extending their advantage by eight points over second-position Borussia Dortmund, who shared the spoils in a 2-2 stalemate with RB Leipzig.
Christoph Baumgartner scored two goals, providing Leipzig with a significant lead; however, an own-goal from Romulo Cardoso and an injury-time equaliser by Fabio Silva salvaged a draw for Dortmund.
Within Serie A, top-ranked Inter established a provisional 10-point advantage over their competitors AC Milan, securing a 2-0 triumph against Lecce.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Manuel Akanji found the net, helping to cement Cristian Chivu’s squad’s hold on the championship.
Inter’s urban adversaries can, nevertheless, narrow the deficit to seven points should they achieve a triumph over Parma on Sunday.
In other news, Como maintained their impressive campaign, securing a 2-0 win against Juventus.
Mergim Vojvoda and Maxence Caqueret scored for Cesc Fabregas’s squad.
In Ligue 1, Lens forewent the opportunity to retain the leading position after suffering a 3-2 loss at home against Monaco.
Odsonne Edouard and Florian Thauvin placed the home team in a dominant position; however, the away side retaliated, reversing the outcome in the concluding thirty minutes thanks to goals from Folarin Balogun, Denis Zakaria, and Ansu Fati.
This outcome provided an opening for Paris Saint-Germain to capitalize fully, which they did by emerging victorious with a 3-0 scoreline against Metz.
Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, and Goncalo Ramos scored as Luis Enrique’s squad reclaimed the summit of the table.
With Real Madrid faltering in the championship pursuit against Osasuna, their urban competitors Atletico drew level on points with third-position Villarreal after a decisive 4-2 triumph over Espanyol.
Jofre Carreras provided Espanyol with an early lead in the sixth minute; subsequently, an Alexander Sorloth double strike, alongside goals from Giuliano Simeone and Ademola Lookman, clinched a crucial victory for Diego Simeone’s squad.
Edu Exposito scored a goal with 10 minutes left, however, it offered scant comfort.
In another fixture, three goals in the concluding five minutes witnessed Real Sociedad and relegation-threatened Real Oviedo divide the spoils in a six-goal thriller.
Federico Vinas netted a brace within two subsequent second-half minutes for Oviedo before Sociedad retaliated via Orri Oskarsson and then Duje Caleta-Car later, in the 87th minute.
Subsequently, with the match at 90 minutes, Oskarsson believed he had secured the win for Sociedad at the death, however, ex-Manchester United defender Eric Bailly managed to salvage a draw for the away team in the 92nd minute.