European Football Roundup: Mbappé Equals Ronaldo’s Record As Juventus Win And Bundesliga Shocks

‎Across Europe, the weekend delivered great moments, title-race twists, and dramatic comebacks, with Mbappé’s historic achievement standing out as a reminder that football’s next generation is already matching the legends who came before them.

‎Mbappé Matches Ronaldo’s Historic Real Madrid Record on His Birthday

‎Kylian Mbappé unforgettably marked his 27th birthday on Saturday night, equalling one of the most iconic records in Real Madrid history.

‎The French forward scored his 59th goal of the calendar year during Los Blancos’ 2–0 La Liga victory over Sevilla, drawing level with Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally from 2013.

‎Mbappé’s landmark goal came late in the match, four minutes from time, after Real were awarded a penalty. Having squandered several chances earlier in the contest, the forward showed trademark composure from the spot to register his 59th goal in as many games across all competitions in 2025.

‎The moment carried deep significance, because of the record itself and because it placed Mbappé alongside his childhood idol.

‎Jude Bellingham had earlier given Real Madrid the lead with a well-timed header seven minutes before the interval. Sevilla’s task became even harder when Marcão was sent off with 22 minutes remaining following a second booking.

‎Despite their numerical advantage, Real Madrid were made to work hard for the victory, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois producing several crucial saves to keep Sevilla at bay.

‎After the match, Mbappé spoke openly about the meaning of equalling Ronaldo’s achievement. He described the moment as “incredible,” particularly because it came in his first year at the club.

‎“Today, and because of the record, it’s incredible, in my first year to be able to do what Cristiano did,” Mbappé said afterwards.

‎“My idol, the best player in the history of Real Madrid, and a reference in world football. It’s an honour for me.”

‎Mbappé marked his goal by reproducing Ronaldo’s celebration, saying later, “I wanted to give him a little nod because he has always been affectionate with me. Normally, I have my own celebration, but I wanted to share that with him, and as I said, he’s been my idol since I was a kid.

‎”I have a very good relationship with him, he’s a friend now.”

‎In the league standings, Real Madrid remain second on 42 points, just one behind Barcelona, who face a difficult away trip to Villarreal. Sevilla, meanwhile, sits ninth with 20 points.

‎Juventus Stay in the Title Race as Roma Falter

‎In Serie A, Juventus strengthened their push for the title with a 2–1 home victory over AS Roma. Goals from Francisco Conceição and Loïs Openda secured all three points for the Bianconeri, while Tommaso Baldanzi found the net for the visitors.

‎Roma had entered the weekend hoping to capitalise on the absence of the top three sides, who were away competing in the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.

‎A win would have lifted them level on points with leaders Inter Milan, but instead it was Juventus who closed the gap, moving to within one point of Roma.

‎The result leaves Roma fourth on 30 points, with Juventus just behind in fifth. Milan currently occupies second place, with Napoli third, keeping the title race tightly contested.

‎Roma’s struggles against elite opposition continued, having already suffered defeats against Inter, Milan, and Napoli earlier in the season.

‎Leverkusen’s Rapid Response Stuns Leipzig

‎In the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen produced a dramatic comeback to defeat RB Leipzig 3–1 away from home, ending Leipzig’s unbeaten home run this season and climbing into third place heading into the winter break.

‎Leipzig initially looked in control after Xaver Schlager opened the scoring in the 35th minute with a fine solo effort, threading his shot past two defenders.

‎However, Leverkusen turned the match around in a blistering four-minute spell before half-time. Martin Terrier equalised in the 40th minute with a looping header, before Patrik Schick completed the turnaround in the 44th minute by wrongfooting his marker and curling a precise finish past Peter Gulacsi.

‎Leipzig pressed for an equaliser after the break, with Conrad Harder and David Raum both coming close, but their hopes were extinguished in stoppage time when Montrell Culbreath added a third for Leverkusen.

‎The defeat dropped Leipzig to fourth on goal difference, while Leverkusen moved to 29 points, three behind second-placed Borussia Dortmund. Bayern Munich remains clear at the top with 38 points.

‎Hat-Trick Heartbreak as Freiburg Edge Wolfsburg

‎One of the most remarkable individual performances of the weekend came from Wolfsburg’s Dzenan Pejcinovic, who scored a hat-trick yet still ended up on the losing side in a 4–3 defeat to Freiburg.

‎The 20-year-old forward, starting in place of Mohamed Amoura who is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, had not scored a Bundesliga goal before this match.

‎He took full advantage of Freiburg’s defensive errors to score three times, putting Wolfsburg in a commanding position on multiple occasions.

‎However, Wolfsburg’s own mistakes proved costly. Defender Jenson Seelt conceded a penalty and later deflected a save from goalkeeper Kamil Grabara into his own net, allowing Freiburg to draw level twice.

‎Substitute Derry Scherhant completed Freiburg’s dramatic comeback with a 78th-minute winner.

‎Tight Battles and Late Drama Elsewhere in Germany

‎Eintracht Frankfurt finished the year in seventh place after being held to a 1–1 draw by Hamburg. A defensive error allowed Albert Sambi Lokonga to put Hamburg ahead, but Hugo Larsson responded for Frankfurt with a composed finish from Nathaniel Brown’s cross.

‎On-loan Arsenal midfielder Fábio Vieira thought he had won it late for Hamburg, only for his goal to be ruled out for offside.

‎Stuttgart and Hoffenheim played out a goalless draw in a match that did little to boost either side’s Champions League ambitions. Deniz Undav came closest in stoppage time, but his header was correctly flagged for offside.

‎Union Berlin claimed a dramatic 1–0 victory over Cologne, with András Schäfer scoring from a corner in stoppage time after Cologne had been reduced to 10 men following Rav van den Berg’s red card for handball.

‎Augsburg and Werder Bremen also shared the points in a 0–0 draw.