Are the great footballing empires crumbling? Unlikely, but it is most unusual that Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich all lost in their respective leagues over the same weekend.
Barcelona have well-documented financial problems and are far from their Lionel Messi-era best. Real, too, are not the all conquering unit they once were, but Bayern have been steamrollering teams in the Bundesliga, and PSG have, on paper, the most lauded front line in the sport.
Here's what happened:
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Barcelona
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ATLETICO RATINGS: Jan Oblak - 7, Was decisive when the ball was in the air and stopped any shots well when required, especially after closing down the angle for Philippe Coutinho. AFP -
Stefan Savic - 8, His defending was no-nonsense, clearly to the frustration of Memphis Depay in the first half, and he never looked like being beaten. AFP -
Jose Gimenez - 7, Looked awkward a couple of times when the ball was played behind him, but the Uruguayan’s performance was mainly a solid one. Getty Images -
Mario Hermoso – 6, He was a bit overly aggressive at times - verging on rash - but the defender did everything he needed to do in order to ensure that Atleti kept a clean sheet. His ball distribution wasn’t the best. AP Photo -
Marcos Llorente - 7, Made some great runs down the channel and was disciplined defensively when required. Also did well in the middle. Getty Images -
Rodrigo De Paul - 5, Looked strong in the Atleti midfield but overhit a few passes and was reckless in the challenge at times, getting booked for a mistimed sliding tackle on Sergino Dest. AP Photo -
Koke - 6, Put in a disciplined performance to help facilitate the more attacking players around him. Booked for a foul on Fati. AFP -
Thomas Lemar - 9, Scored the opener with a great finish and then assisted the second goal after racing past Nico Gonzalez and putting Luis Suarez into a great position. Getty Images -
Yannick Carrasco - 6, Pressed brilliantly, which helped create a chance for Joao Felix, and almost saw an overhit cross from a free kick dip under the crossbar. AP Photo -
Joao Felix - 7, Looked a real handful in the first half as Ronaldo Araujo struggled to deal with him. The attacker contributed some good play in the build-up to the opener, although he faded in the second half. Getty Images -
Luis Suarez - 8, The Uruguayan assisted the opener with a nice pass, and having missed a good chance to score a goal of his own, he was never going to do it a second time, coolly slotting the ball past Marc-André ter Stegen. Getty Images -
SUB Kieran Trippier (De Paul, HT) - 6, Put in a committed display and didn’t hold back in his tackles, helping to ensure that Barcelona never had a chance of getting back into the game. Getty Images -
SUB Angel Correa (Felix, 72’) – N/R, Made some decent runs but was quiet after coming off the bench. EPA -
SUB Antoine Griezmann (Suarez, 72’) – N/R, Had three attempts at playing passes to get his teammates through on goal but couldn’t quite get them right. Getty Images -
SUB Renan Lodi (Hermoso, 81’) – N/R, Didn’t have much to do but managed to help see out the game. EPA -
SUB Felipe (Carrasco, 82’) – N/R, Like Renan Lodi, he did what was required of him during a short spell on the pitch. EPA -
BARCELONA RATINGS: Marc-André ter Stegen - 6, Had no chance of stopping Lemar’s goal and was sat down by Suarez for the second. Made some routine stops. Getty Images -
Óscar Mingueza - 5, Was almost punished after he lost the ball cheaply in the early stages, then completely outrun by Lemar for the second goal, though he did make some good interventions to stop Carrasco. Getty Images -
Gerard Piqué - 6, Nothing he could do for the second goal despite scrambling to get back on the goal line, as he was left stranded by his teammates. Tried to hold things together but couldn’t quite manage it. Getty Images -
Ronald Araújo - 3, Was the main culprit who made things difficult for Pique. Struggled to deal with Joao Felix early on and was beaten easily for the second goal. In the second half, he got away with a poor touch that allowed Griezmann to get behind. AFP -
Sergiño Dest - 5, Made a couple of decent runs forward but was fairly predictable and struggled defensively at times. AFP -
Frenkie de Jong - 6, Had some lovely moments with intelligent passing and movement, but wasn’t involved enough to make a real impact. Came agonisingly close to getting on the end of Depay’s cushioned header. Getty Images -
Sergio Busquets - 6, Put in a valiant display and passed the ball nicely at times but was unable to make the difference. Getty Images -
Nico González - 4, There will be more games in the future, but this is one for the youngster to forget, as he struggled to have any real impact and allowed Lemar to run off him for the opener before being hooked at half time. AP Photo -
Gavi - 6, Was one of Barcelona’s better performers as he tried to make things happen, and did well to pick out Coutinho after making an interception and bursting up the pitch. Booked for blatantly barging Lemar over. EPA -
Memphis Depay - 6, Was Barcelona’s most threatening player with some good runs behind. His cushioned header came agonisingly close to finding De Jong, while his free kick wasn’t too far over the bar. AFP -
Philippe Coutinho - 6, Showed moments of ingenuity, but his game will be remembered for nearly moments. The Brazilian came inches from the bottom corner with a half-volley, while he failed to make the most of his opportunity after being played through by Gavi. AFP -
SUB Sergi Roberto (Nico, HT) - 6, Usually moved the ball nicely but overcooked his cross into a packed box near the end. AP Photo -
SUB Ansu Fati (Coutinho, 64’) - 6, Tried to make things happen but sent a free kick well over the crossbar and his weak shot was easy for Oblak to save. Getty Images -
SUB Luuk de Jong (Gavi, 75’) – N/R, Couldn’t really make much of an impact on the game or cause any real bother for the Atleti defence. Reuters -
SUB Riqui Puig (Migueza, 76’) – N/R, Got some nice touches in and passed the ball well but couldn’t make anything happen. Getty Images -
SUB Clement Lenglet (Dest, 86’) – N/R, Didn’t have too much to do, as the game was out of reach long before his introduction. Getty Images
Barca are down to in ninth in La Liga after their 2-0 defeat to Atletico. And to rub salt into their wounds, former star Luis Suarez was on target following Thomas Lemar's opener at the Wanda Metropolitano.
The defeat came on the back of a 3-0 loss to Benfica in the Champions League and a goalless draw in the league against Cadiz.
The days of running riot with the likes of Suarez, Messi and Neymar in attack are long gone; Barca have scored just four in their last six matches.
Under pressure manager Ronald Koeman received the backing of Barcelona president Joan Laporta despite one win in six games.
“He has a contract, [and] we hope that he can get us back on the winning path, playing the way we want. I know he will give it his all,” Laporta told reporters hours before kick off.
Espanyol 2 Real Madrid 1
Thankfully for Real Madrid, their season isn't quite in the same crisis mode as rivals Barcelona. Their 2-1 defeat to Espanyol was their first of the season, and they remain top of the La Liga table on goal difference.
However, they too look far from the outfit that won three of the past six Champions Leagues, and were beaten in midweek by Moldovan minnows Sheriff Tiraspol in Europe's premier competition.
Raul de Tomas, a former Real Madrid youth player, opened the scoring for Espanyol in the first half before Karim Benzema equalised with his 10th goal of the season. Aleix Vidal netted the second-half winner.
"[It was] our worst match of the season," Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said. "We played badly. It wasn’t an accident today and we deserved to lose."
Rennes 2 PSG 0
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Gianluigi Donnarumma, 5 - An Autumn afternoon to forget after an unbelievable summer. Beaten twice in as many minutes either side of the break as the league leaders blistering start ended in dramatic fashion. Saw yellow for protesting a little too vocally for the referee’s liking. AFP -
Achraf Hakimi, 4 - Gave Kamaldeen Sulemana half a yard of space and the Ghana man was able to unleash a thunderbolt that flew just over the crossbar. Gave away a late penalty, only to be redeemed by the VAR and the pitchside monitors. AFP -
Marquinhos, 5 - A couple of important clearances to prevent the result from being even worse, but even he couldn’t keep out a spirited Rennes attack on a dismal day for the title favourites. One to forget all round. Getty -
Presnel Kimpembe, 4 - Showed his frustrations when he was booked for remonstrating with the referee after a collision with Jonas Martin. Looked to have absolutely no clue where Flavien Tait was as the midfielder stormed into the box to score the opener. Reuters -
Nuno Mendes, 4 - Allowed Tait to peel off his shoulder too easily to stab in at the far post and give the home side the advantage just seconds before the half-time whistle. EPA -
Idrissa Gueye, 5 - An average afternoon from the former Everton man. Fizzed a dangerous effort just wide of the post in the 27th minute as PSG went close, but he was replaced after a disappointing second half. AFP -
Marco Verratti, 4 - The Italian midfield maestro, like the rest of his teammates, struggled to find their usual rhythm against a stubborn Rennes side. Must be among his most uninspired displays at the club as Mauricio Pochettino’s men produced a lethargic showing in the middle of the park. AFP -
Angel Di Maria, 6 - Another man who has bags of flair but produced an indifferent display. Whipped in an inviting cross just before the hour mark, but it was repelled by Rennes. Inches away from crafting a PSG response midway through the second half, but Kylian Mbappe had drifted into an offside position. Reuters -
Lionel Messi, 6 - Couldn’t follow up on his electric performance against Manchester City and his best moment saw him rattle the underside of the bar with a first-half free-kick. Three Ligue 1 games without a goal now for the Argentine who suffered his first defeat as a PSG player. EPA -
Neymar, 5 - Probably had his side’s best chances other than Mbappe’s disallowed effort. Volleyed over as a good opportunity went begging in the first half before he was inches away from connecting with Mbappe’s clipped through ball in the second, although he might have been offside anyway. AFP -
Kylian Mbappe, 5 - Was off target all afternoon as PSG failed to register a single shot on target. Finally thought he’d given the visitor’s a lifeline after the break when he squeezed into the corner after a neat exchange with Di Maria, but he was caught a fraction offside in the build-up. Booked late on for clattering into Lorenz Assignon. EPA -
SUBS: Ander Herrera, (On for Gueye 76') N/A - One of a triple substitution but he couldn’t inspire a comeback. Getty -
Georginio Wijnaldum, (On for Verratti 76') N/A - Introduction made little difference to proceedings. AFP -
Mauro Icardi, (On for Neymar 76') N/A - Never really had a sniff. Reuters
The expectation was for PSG and their star-studded line up to notch up scorelines similar to those found in cricket against many of their lesser-funded French league opponents.
So far, it hasn't worked out like that and, despite fielding Messi, Mbappe and Neymar in the starting line up, they failed to have a single shot on target against Rennes (a Messi free-kick hit the bar).
It was their first league defeat in what was their ninth fixture and they remain top of Ligue 1, but doubts remain over how effective the dazzling trio are when played together.
Gatetan Laborde scored just before half time and Flavien Tait just afterwards. Messi meanwhile is yet to score in the league for PSG and Mbappe hasn't scored in his past five matches in all competitions.
Is the Dream Team just a dream, or will it wake from its slumber soon?
Bayern Munich 1 Eintracht Frankfurt 2
The Bayern steamroller was finally halted as Eintracht Frankfurt inflicted a first home defeat in 30 matches at the Allianz Arena.
Leon Goretzka gave Bayern the lead before Frankfurt captain Martin Hinteregger equalised and Filip Kostic scored an 83rd-minute winner to end Bayern's run of nine consecutive wins and inflict Julian Nagelsmann's first loss since taking the managerial reins.
Bayern remain top of the Bundesliga on goal difference ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, and this was seen more as a blip than a lasting problem, having scored 17 goals in their previous four matches. It was also only the third time in 13 games this season that striker Robert Lewandowski failed to find the net.
"It always hurts to lose, but this defeat hurts a bit more because it was avoidable," Nagelsmann told DAZN broadcaster.
"We were punished today for not taking our chances."
