Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal will undergo surgery following the rupture of two knee ligaments and a tendon during Saturday's 2-0 victory over Villarreal, the player confirmed on Sunday. The defender was stretchered off in stoppage time after sustaining a right knee injury during a duel with Villarreal midfielder Yeremy Pino. "Serious cruciate ligament injury confirmed, I'll have to undergo surgery and be off the field for a few months," Carvajal said on Sunday morning. "Looking forward to starting the recovery process and coming back like an animal. Thank you all for your messages, I feel very loved," Carvajal added in a statement posted on Instagram, alongside a picture of himself in an ambulance taken after Saturday's match. In a separate statement on Sunday, Real Madrid confirmed that Carvajal had been "diagnosed with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, a ruptured external collateral ligament, and a ruptured popliteal tendon in his right leg." The European champions also confirmed that Brazil winger Vinícius Júnior suffered a shoulder injury against Villarreal. Vinícius had doubled Real's lead with a terrific strike from outside the box in the 73rd minute but was substituted soon after due to the injury. Carlo Ancelotti's side took the lead in the 14th minute from Federico Valverde's stunning long-range shot. The victory moves them level on points with Barcelona, who face Alavés on Sunday.
Elsewhere in La Liga on Saturday, Celta Vigo held on for a 1-0 victory at winless Las Palmas despite going down to nine men early in the second half. Borja Iglesias scored the only goal in the first half, with the visitors prevailing despite Ilaix Moriba and Iago Aspas being sent off in quick succession after the restart. In Serie A, Marcus Thuram's hat-trick gave Inter a 3-2 victory over 10-man Torino at home in their Serie A clash, following an early red card for visiting defender Guillermo Maripán. The breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Inter capitalized on Maripán's dismissal, with Thuram heading in from close range five minutes after the defender was sent off for a foul on the French forward. Thuram doubled Inter's lead in the 35th minute with another header from close range. Torino pulled one back a minute later, with Duván Zapata taking advantage of a defensive error. Thuram completed his hat-trick on the hour mark, being in the right place to tap in a rebound after goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic had saved a header. Torino forward Nikola Vlasic converted a penalty four minutes from time after Hakan Calhanoglu had tripped Adam Masina in the area, but the visitors were unable to find an equaliser. Thuram, who is the joint-top scorer in the league this season with seven goals, said Inter cannot afford to keep on leaking in goals. "We are 11 [players] on the pitch and not conceding goals is part of everyone's job," he said. "For me, scoring is always a great feeling, but I always want to remain a player who helps the team above all." Atalanta striker Marco Retegui has also scored seven goals in as many games, and also completed a hat-trick on Saturday as his side thrashed Genoa 5-1 in Bergamo. Udinese are in third, a point behind Inter, after Jordan Zemura's 75th-minute goal was enough to see off struggling Lecce.
In the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen scored twice in the opening eight minutes but the champions squandered their lead to settle for a 2-2 draw against visitors Holstein Kiel. Victor Boniface slotted in after four minutes to put the hosts in front with his fourth league goal of the campaign. Leverkusen struck again quickly, this time with Jonas Hofmann's low drive following a mistake by the Kiel goalkeeper Timon Weiner. Promoted Kiel struck back on the stroke of half-time with Max Geschwill's header at the far post and drew level thanks to Fiete Arp's 69th-minute penalty. Leverkusen are fifth in the standings on 11 points, with Freiburg climbing above them and into third after Ritsu Doan got the only goal in their 1-0 victory at Werder Bremen. Borussia Dortmund slumped to a 2-1 loss at Union Berlin, only days after their 7-1 demolition of Celtic for their biggest European win. Union's Kevin Vogt ended a record 10-year Bundesliga goal drought for an outfield player after converting a 26th-minute penalty. Yorbe Vertessen's low strike from the edge of the box made it 2-0, and although Julian Ryerson pulled a goal back for the visitors just past the hour, they could not find an equaliser. Dortmund drop to seventh place in the standings on 10 points, a point behind Leipzig, Leverkusen, and Union. Second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt host leaders Bayern Munich on Sunday.
In Ligue 1, Monaco moved top and stayed unbeaten with a 2-1 win at Rennes. Thilo Kehrer opened the scoring for the visitors with a sixth-minute header, and while Ludovic Blas quickly leveled for Rennes with a fine finish, Folarin Balogun got the winner in the 22nd minute when he lobbed keeper Steve Mandanda. Lille followed up their Champions League win over Real Madrid with a 2-1 comeback victory at home to Toulouse, while Zuriko Davitashvili's hat-trick earned Saint-Étienne a 3-1 home win over fellow promoted side Auxerre. Paris Saint-Germain can reclaim top spot with a win at mid-table Nice on Sunday evening. Luis Enrique has restored Ousmane Dembélé to his travelling squad after the winger missed the midweek Champions League defeat to Arsenal.
