Esteban Lepaul headlines list of stars of the weekend in Europe top five leagues.
It was another compelling round of action across Europe’s elite divisions, headlined by a fiery London derby in England and a heavyweight clash in Germany, where Bayern Munich locked horns with Bayer Leverkusen.
Across the continent, routine victories mixed with tactical masterclasses and unexpected upsets, producing standout individual displays worthy of the spotlight. Several players rose above the noise, and we’ve handpicked the most exceptional performers from each of the top five leagues.
From Esteban Lepaul’s ruthless treble in Rennes colours to Diego Gomez’s commanding display for Brighton, these are the weekend’s standout figures across the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1.
Stars of the weekend: Esteban Lepaul headlines list
Premier League: Diego Gomez of Brighton
Diego Gomez produced a stunning performance for Brighton as they secured a comfortable home win over Leeds United on Saturday, scoring two second-half goals to blow away the visitors.
The Paraguay international was already having a good game in midfield and pounced on the chance to make it even better four minutes after the hour mark, arriving in the box to slam home a deflected cross from close range.
The midfielder completed his brace six minutes later, guiding his shot into the net from inside the box after Giorginio Rutter’s cutback deflected off Yankuba Minteh into his path.
Diego Gomez’s showing stands out as the performance of the Premier League weekend, securing recognition as the most outstanding player in the English top-flight for Matchday 10.
LaLiga: Antony of Real Betis
The Brazilian winger delivered one of his finest displays since leaving Ajax, playing a direct role in all three goals as Real Betis returned to winning ways against Mallorca.
Antony, who had scored 12 goals for Los Verdiblancos ahead of kickoff, opened the scoring with a brilliant long-range strike into the bottom corner in the 10th minute, surpassing his total goal tally for Manchester United in the process.
He doubled his tally four minutes after the half-hour mark with another superb effort from outside the box to take his season total to five, four of them in LaLiga.
Antony then created the third goal three minutes later, setting up Abdessamad Ezzalzouli for his third league strike of the campaign.
His impressive display lifted Manuel Pellegrini’s side into the top five and within three points of fourth-place Atlético Madrid, while also cementing his status as the standout performer in Spain’s top division over the weekend.
Serie A: Santiago Castro of Bologna
Argentine forward Santiago Castro claimed the spotlight in Serie A with a decisive brace that inspired Bologna to come from behind and beat Parma away from home, lifting them into the top five.
The visitors arrived under pressure, having failed to win either league meeting last season, and fell behind inside the first minute as Adrian Bernabé struck for Parma.
Castro responded with two crucial goals, the first in the 17th minute to level, and the second in the 68th minute to complete the turnaround.
Left-back Juan Miranda added a late third in stoppage time to seal a 3-1 win, but it was Castro’s clinical finishing that delivered the defining moments, earning him Serie A’s player-of-the-weekend nod.
Bundesliga: Haris Tabakovic of Borussia Mönchengladbach
Bosnian striker Haris Tabakovic appears to be hitting top gear at Borussia Mönchengladbach, producing another influential performance away to St. Pauli on Saturday, taking him to six goals and two assists across his last eight games.
Fresh from a standout DFB-Pokal showing against Karlsruher, the summer signing from Hoffenheim opened the scoring in the 15th minute after capitalizing on an error by fellow Bosnian Nikola Vasilj.
He doubled the advantage five minutes before halftime with a low finish into the bottom corner, and later turned provider, assisting Shuto Machino 15 minutes from time as Gladbach cruised to a 4-0 victory, their first Bundesliga win of the season.
Now on five league goals, Tabakovic comfortably earns recognition as the standout star in the German top-flight for Matchday Nine.
Ligue 1: Esteban Lepaul of Rennes
Against one of Ligue 1’s toughest opponents, Esteban Lepaul made victory look routine as his hat-trick powered Rennes to yet another dominant home win over Strasbourg.
The 25-year-old is enjoying a superb start to life at Rennes following his summer move from Angers, and he opened the scoring in the ninth minute, sliding home a low cross from the right for his sixth of the season.
Lepaul made it 3-0 three minutes after the interval, taking a touch to steady himself before finishing from Mohamed Meïté’s delivery, and completed his treble on the hour with a one-time strike following a through ball.
His display pushed Rennes into the top 10 while extending their strong home record against Strasbourg, with just one defeat in their last eight meetings on home soil.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
