What Happened In European Football This Week?

There were some major changes across the continent this week as teams are looking towards the finish line in anticipation of what next season could hold for them. Most leagues are around two thirds of the way into the campaign which means that there are defined title races and relegation fights that produce some excellent six pointers. The Premier League is a bit of an outlier as most of the interesting storylines in the table are all but finished already, but La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1, among others, are throwing up some exciting ties.

Bochum Shock German Giants

The biggest game in the Bundesliga this week was between the top two teams, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, however it ended up being one of the least interesting as it ended in a 0-0 draw, with Bayern keeping a large buffer zone between them and the other title contenders. Instead, the most interesting and surprising game was between Borussia Dortmund and VfL Bochum.

Borussia Dortmund have had a poor season so far this year. They went into this game in 11th place, yet still within touching distance of the European places, while Bochum were rock bottom of the league, a position they have held for the majority of this season. Many Bochum fans, despite the form of their visitors, would have gone into this match expecting a pummelling, and while they were beaten in the possession stats, that was really about it. Dortmund dominated the ball without creating any clear cut opportunities, and Bochum were able to create plenty on the counter attack. Greek attacker Giorgos Masouras scored a brace inside two first half minutes to give Bochum a comfortable lead, and from there they were able to defend without too many worrying moments.

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2-0 #meinVfL #BOCBVB pic.twitter.com/PV5DhcK3aV

— VfL Bochum 1848 (@VfLBochum1848EN) February 15, 2025

As the weeks go by, things get more and more desperate for Dortmund as Europe gets further and further away. They are now six points behind sixth placed Mainz, with their away record being one of the worst in the whole league. Bochum meanwhile have climbed off the bottom of the table, but are still seven points of Hoffenheim who are in 15th. It would take a remarkable end to the season for Bochum to not be involved in relegation in some way, but the relegation playoff place is certainly within reach.

Inter Miss Chance To Go First

Napoli and Inter Milan have been battling it out at the top of the Serie A this season, and each time one of them loses out on points, it represents a big opportunity for the other to claim top spot. Napoli played first this weekend and were held to a 2-2 draw by Lazio, who were in fourth place at the time. A single point from that game meant that Inter Milan would have the opportunity to go first if they managed to beat a Juventus side who had lost just once all season.

Kolo Muani’s assist looks even more incredible from the stands….. and Koops celebration 😂 pic.twitter.com/AoCXbz7KUe

— Juventus News Live (@juvenewslive) February 17, 2025

The two faced off at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Sunday in what was a very nervy affair. Juventus had better chances to take the game than Inter despite having less of the ball and being in worse form, having drawn the majority of their league games this season. The game finished 1-0 to the hosts, with Francisco Conceicao scoring the only goal fifteen minutes from time. The Portuguese winger now has three league goals this season, having joined from Porto on loan in the summer. The result means Napoli remain at the top of the league by two points.

Nantes Collapse After Just Eight Minutes

The title race in Ligue 1 is already over, with PSG 10 points clear of second place Marseille in February. The relegation battle is much more interesting this season, with the bottom five teams separated by just seven points and everything left to play for. One of these teams is Nantes, who have won four times all season and travelled south this weekend to face fourth placed Monaco.

⚽️ Mika Biereth

5️⃣ matches
7️⃣ goals

𝔸𝕓𝕤𝕠𝕝𝕦𝕥𝕖 𝕘𝕦𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕣 🇩🇰 pic.twitter.com/Sywg38qKoF

— AS Monaco EN 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco_EN) February 15, 2025

The visitors took a shock early lead against Monaco, with Matthis Abline netting after just four minutes, but after another four minutes they were down to 10 men, as Nicolas Cozza was sent off for a high and dangerous challenge on Vanderson. Nantes were able to hold on until just before half time, but within just 10 minutes either side of the break, they were 4-1 down. Monaco were looking to bounce back after two defeats in a row in all competitions, and they succeeded in doing so, scoring seven goals in a very comfortable win.

Barcelona Gifted A Golden Opportunity

Barcelona haven’t played yet this week, as they face Rayo Vallecano tonight, in a match that all of a sudden has incredible importance. The last couple of weeks have seen Vallecano shoot up the table into sixth place. No team in the league has had a better run of results than them in their last five games, with four wins and a draw to their name. However this game is also of great importance to Barcelona.

Real Madrid are currently first in La Liga, but they slipped up this weekend, drawing to Osasuna after Jude Bellingham was sent off for dissent. Kylian Mbappe gave them the lead in the first half, but Bellingham’s dismissal changed the game, and Ante Budimir equalised in the second half. This gave Atletico Madrid the chance to take top spot, but they too drew 1-1 after having a player sent off. Pablo Barrios saw red after just seven minutes against Celta Vigo, which gave the visitors the confidence to go forward. They took the lead midway through the second half before Alexander Sorloth scored a late equaliser. These results give Barcelona the chance to end the week in first and hold the initiative going forward.

🚨 Real Madrid are considering trying to QUIT Spanish football for another league in protest at the leadership of La Liga president Javier Tebas and biased refereeing decisions.

(Source: @SPORT) pic.twitter.com/ylaFvZ45Ck

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) February 17, 2025

As a result, Real Madrid are considering quitting La Liga like a spoiled child when they don’t get what they want, over biassed refereeing decisions, even though they have won three more penalties than any other club in Spain this season, and six more than Barcelona. They also have the fewest yellow cards in the league, despite committing more fouls than Barcelona. This kind of behaviour from Florentino Perez is simply childish.