LONDON, 20 September 2005 — Champions Chelsea, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Olympique Lyon all continued their unbeaten starts to the season at the weekend.
However, Barcelona and Real Madrid slipped up leaving modest Madrid-based side Getafe in the limelight at the top of the Primera Liga for the first time in their history.
Chelsea won their top-of-the-table clash with London rivals Charlton Athletic to chalk up their sixth straight Premier League win and have yet to concede a goal this season.
Serie A leaders Juve have also got maximum points, albeit from only three games, after beating visitors Ascoli.
Bayern Munich stretched their Bundesliga winning streak to a record 14 matches with a victory at home to Hanover 96.
Ligue 1 leaders Olympique Lyon extended their unbeaten run to seven games since the start of the season with a draw at Girondins Bordeaux.
Real completed a miserable week when they slipped to a third defeat in a row after losing at Espanyol, while champions Barca were dealt their first loss of the season at Atletico Madrid.
Following is a brief roundup of the weekend’s action in Europe’s major leagues:
England — Chelsea cruised to a 2-0 victory at Charlton Athletic, second-half goals by Argentine striker Hernan Crespo and Dutch winger Arjen Robben ensuring they have won all six league games this season.
The champions are six points ahead of second-placed Charlton, who had taken maximum points from their first four games, and seven clear of Manchester United, who were held to a 0-0 draw by European champions Liverpool in a dull match at Anfield. Bolton Wanderers climbed to fourth with a 1-0 win at Manchester City. Arsenal were to meet Everton yesterday.
Spain — Real Madrid lost 1-0 to a determined Espanyol side who scored when defender Daniel Jarque got behind the defense to head in Ivan de la Pena’s free kick 22 minutes from time. Real’s pride was further wounded when two of their new signings — Sergio Ramos and Julio Baptista — were sent off in the closing minutes.Barca took an early lead when Samuel Eto’o steered in from close range but Atletico hit back with their first goal of the season when Fernando Torres powered in a header and Mateja Kezman ghosted in at the far post early in the second half to secure a 2-1 win. Bernd Schuster’s Getafe, who played in the top flight for the first time last season, claimed first place with a pulsating 4-3 win at Alaves after twice coming from behind.
Italy — Juventus maintained their 100 percent start to the season with a 2-1 win over Ascoli as AC Milan suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at Sampdoria. The champions moved onto nine points from three matches, two ahead of Fiorentina who beat Udinese 4-2.
Livorno also have seven points after their 0-0 draw with AS Roma, as do Lazio and Palermo after wins over Treviso and Siena. Milan captain Paolo Maldini equalled Dino Zoff’s record of 570 Serie A appearances but had little else to celebrate after defeat left his side five points adrift. Juve’s victory marked a return to form for captain Alessandro Del Piero who scored both goals in the first half, including a penalty.
Germany — Bayern Munich lead the standings with a maximum 15 points from five games after a 1-0 home win over Hanover 96 thanks to a a header from Argentine midfielder Martin Demichelis. Werder Bremen stayed within two points of top spot with a 3-2 win over visiting Borussia Dortmund. Hamburg SV are third on 11 points after a 1-1 draw at home to Eintracht Frankfurt with Schalke in fourth on nine points. Bayer Leverkusen beat MSV Duisburg 3-1 to give director of football Rudi Voeller a winning start as stand-in coach after Klaus Augenthaler was sacked following their worst start to a season in 22 years.
France — A second-half strike by Sylvain Wiltord gave leaders Lyon a barely deserved 1-1 draw at Bordeaux that put them on 17 points, three more than promoted Le Mans who beat Sochaux 2-1 at home. Le Mans opened the scoring on the half-hour when midfielder Yohan Hautcoeur slotted home and, although Sochaux equalized after 61 minutes, Brazilian striker De Melo restored their lead seven minutes later. In-form St Etienne upset Paris St Germain 3-0 to leapfrog them into third place. Frederic Mendy put the home side ahead after 37 minutes before Frederic Piquionne and Pascal Feindouno sealed a comfortable win after the break.
Les Verts, who have conceded just one goal after three wins in seven matches, are ahead of PSG on goal difference.
Deschamps Steps Down
as Monaco Coach
Meantime, Didier Deschamps resigned as Monaco coach yesterday after a poor run of form that has left the club 15th in Ligue 1 and out of the Champions League.
“Ending my collaboration with the club appears to me to be the best decision given the current situation,” said Deschamps, who was jeered by Monaco fans in an embarrassing 2-0 home defeat by Stade Rennes on Sunday.
“I’m leaving a club I dedicated myself to with energy and passion. Those four years will remain engraved in my memory as one of the richest experiences of my professional run,” the former France captain said in a statement released by his agent.
The 36-year-old former midfielder took charge at the club in the principality in 2001, steering the team to three top-three league finishes and a Champions League final in the last four years. He was under contract until 2007. After a difficult start to the season, with Monaco failing to move beyond the qualifying rounds of the Champions League and winning only two of their first seven league games, Deschamps has decided to throw in the towel.
