Atletico Leads La Liga Briefly as European Rivalries Take Center Stage

Atletico Madrid moved temporarily to the top of La Liga with a 2-0 victory over Levante. Alejandro Grimaldo opened the scoring in the 36th minute after a defensive lapse, and Giuliano Simeone added the second with a finish from a coordinated attack. Barcelona could regain first place by beating Alaves later on October 31. Players wore black armbands following a deadly train collision in Spain, and 24 Copa del Rey matches set for Wednesday were postponed.

In Germany, Bayern Munich presented Harry Kane with his Ballon d'Or trophy before its match against Borussia Dortmund. Kane brought his family onto the field as supporters cheered. Bayern played without coach Vincent Kompany, who was resting after leaving hospital following a sudden collapse the previous week. Freiburg beat Augsburg 2-1 with an 85th-minute goal from Cyriaque Irie, keeping third place and moving within a point of Bayern and Dortmund. Leipzig won 2-0 against Schalke, while Werder Bremen beat Hoffenheim by the same score. Stuttgart defeated Leverkusen 4-2, handing Leverkusen consecutive losses.

In England, Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0, extending United’s winless streak in all competitions to nine matches and increasing pressure on manager Michael Carrick. Manchester City lost 1-0 at home to Brighton, its second consecutive league defeat after starting the season with seven straight wins. Arsenal can move above City with a draw or victory against Liverpool on Sunday. In Italy, Bologna beat Monza 2-1, while AC Milan hosted Inter Milan. Troyes hosted Le Mans in France’s only top-division match of the day after protests led to three other games being moved.