Dortmund and Leipzig were knocked out of the DFB Pokal, Moreno got his first league win as Monaco coach, while Spanish second division side Mirandes stunned Villarreal to reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals. Here are the Winners and Losers from European football, February 3-5. Bet on football here.
WINNERS
Robert Moreno and Monaco
Monaco have struggled to find their feet since Robert Moreno replaced Leonardo Jardim as coach. After taking charge towards the end of the year, Moreno had failed to lead Monaco to victory in a single league game. Before Tuesday’s win over Angers, the 2016/17 Ligue 1 winners had registered three losses and a draw under the Spaniard. Although the performance wasn’t their best, this was a much-needed win after a poor run of form. They now sit tenth in the table with 32 points, eight points off the Champions League places.
Napoli
Napoli registered their fourth win in five games on Monday when they edged Sampdoria 4-2 in a Serie A thriller. The Pertenopei have had a turbulent season. Before beating Sassuolo in late December, they had gone eight matches without a win. Gennaro Gattuso’s reign as manager after the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti began poorly with three losses in four games. However, wins over Lazio in the Coppa Italia and Juventus in the league have slowly steadied their ship. They still have a long way to go if they want to return to the Champions League next season. Nine points separate them from fourth-placed Atalanta.
Mirandes
Spanish second division side Mirandes pulled off an impressive third consecutive upset in the Copa del Rey this season by beating La Liga club Villarreal 4-2 at home on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals. They last reached this stage in 2011-12, where they lost to Athletic Bilbao, and the quarter-finals in 2015-16. They have never played in La Liga and currently sit 11th in Segunda Division. They have knocked out top-flight sides Sevilla and Celta Vigo this season already. Can they go all the way?
LOSERS
Borussia Dortmund & RB Leipzig
Goals from youngsters Erling Haaland and Gio Reyna could not prevent Borussia Dortmund from going out of the DFB Cup at the hands of Werder Bremen in a five-goal thriller at the Weser Stadion. The loss landed a huge dent in their quest for silverware this season considering how the Bundesliga is very competitive at the moment. Lucien Favre’s side have won just two DFB Pokals in this millenium, which is a little underwhelming when taking into account that they’re Germany’s second-biggest club.
RB Leipzig’s poor form in 2020 continued when they suffered another defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt, who knocked them out in the process. Leipzig had revenge on their mind, after losing 2-0 here in the Bundesliga just ten days ago, but failed to turn up yet again. Up next, Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga this weekend.
Lazio
Lazio spurned a chance to leapfrog Inter Milan to second in the Serie A table following a disappointing 0-0 draw with Hellas Verona. However, Simone Inzaghi’s side closed to within a point of second-placed Inter Milan. They are four points behind leaders Juventus and 11 points clear of fourth-placed Atalanta. Can they sustain this title push?
Over 2.5 bettors in Ligue 1
Matchweek 23 of Ligue 1 was low scoring. Of the ten matches played on Tuesday and Wednesday, nine of them saw two or fewer goals. PSG’s game away at Nantes was the only game that saw Over 2.5 Goals.