The Atlético Madrid manager, Diego Simeone, said on Saturday it made no sense to play this weekend after catastrophic floods swept through parts of Spain.
The deadliest flash floods in Spain’s modern history – and the second-deadliest European floods of the century – have killed at least 211 people and dozens are unaccounted for, four days after torrential rains swept the region of Valencia, the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said on Saturday. The matches between Valencia and Real Madrid, along with Villarreal v Rayo Vallecano, are among several postponed after the floods.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Simeone told reporters before his side’s home game on Sunday against Las Palmas. “What is happening is very hard; it is very moving to see the people who went out on the streets to help, who with a shovel and their tools are trying to collaborate and that speaks very well of the country, of the people, and we want to help wherever we can. There are people having a very hard time, it’s very sad and they tell us to continue and here we are, continuing.”
Barcelona’s coach, Hansi Flick, also voiced concerns about playing. His team host Espanyol in a derby on Sunday. “If it were me, I might do it [suspend sport] because it is an incredible tragedy for Valencia and Spain as a whole,” the German said. “We have spoken with Ferran [Torres], who is from the area, and it is not easy to decide whether the game should be played or not.
“For me it is a tragedy. It was something similar in Germany three years ago; it is horrible. We will do everything we can to help. The rest is for La Liga to decide.”
Real Valladolid players posed with shirts supporting the victims of the floods before their 1-0 defeat at Osasuna on Saturday.
In Germany, Harry Kane scored twice as Bayern Munich eased past Union Berlin 3-0 to open up a three-point gap at the top. They won their third straight league game without conceding a goal in a near-flawless dress rehearsal before Wednesday’s Champions League game against Benfica in Munich.
Bayern opened their account with a 15th-minute Kane penalty before Kingsley Coman curled a shot past the goalkeeper Frederik Rønnow to make it 2-0, two minutes before the break. Union had no effort on goal in the first half and were constantly on the back foot, struggling with Bayern’s pace and intensity, with the hosts having close to 80% possession at times.
Union, who are seventh, could do nothing to stop Kane from scoring his second from close range six minutes into the second half. The England captain, who scored a hat-trick against Stuttgart two weeks ago, has 11 league goals and tops the scorers’ list.
Injury-hit Borussia Dortmund came from a goal down to win 2-1 at home to second-placed RB Leipzig, ending a three-game losing run across all competitions. Dortmund, missing nine players through injury, went behind when Benjamin Sesko drilled into the top of the net from a tight angle in the 27th minute after the hosts missed a string of chances, including several by Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.
But Dortmund levelled three minutes later when Maximilian Beier pounced on a loose ball in the box and the comeback was complete in the 65th minute through Serhou Guirassy’s close-range header. Eintracht Frankfurt won 7-2 at home to Bochum, with six players scoring their goals.
Juventus earned a 2-0 victory at Udinese after an own goal by Maduka Okoye and Nicolò Savona’s strike. After a Champions League defeat and two league draws, Juve remain unbeaten in Serie A but trail the leaders, Napoli, who play at home to Atalanta on Sunday, by four points.
Thiago Motta’s side dominated from early on and took the lead in the 19th minute when Khéphren Thuram’s shot struck the far post before bouncing off the goalkeeper Okoye’s back and into the net. Savona doubled the lead when he slammed home a loose ball after another rebound off the post from Kenan Yildiz’s shot in the 37th minute.
Milan managed a 1-0 win at Monza thanks to a first-half header from Tijjani Reijnders. Midfielder Reijnders scored two minutes before half-time, nodding the ball home after Álvaro Morata’s header from a Christian Pulisic cross was blocked.
Monza were left frustrated by numerous wasted opportunities in the first half. Milan are seventh in the table with 17 points, eight adrift of leaders Napoli after 10 games.
