European football roundup: Marc Guiu, 17, scores winner for Barca; Aston Villa thrash West Ham

Teenage debutant Marc Guiu said he will not be able to sleep after snatching champions Barcelona a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao just seconds after coming on from the bench on Sunday in La Liga, taking the Catalans up to third. Xavi Hernandez’s Barca will face leaders Real Madrid next Saturday in the Clasico just one point behind their bitter rivals, and second-placed Girona, who beat Almeria 5-2 earlier on. For a long time it seemed like Barcelona would not find the breakthrough against their Basque visitors but striker Guiu, 17, netted under a minute after being thrown on by Xavi. The forward was slipped in by the silky Joao Felix and slotted past Unai Simon, who got a hand to his shot but could not keep it out. “Tonight I won’t sleep,” Guiu told DAZN. “I can’t believe it, I can barely breathe, I’m enjoying the moment.” Guiu became the latest on a conveyor belt of youths to make their debuts for Barca as their La Masia academy continues to produce gems. “It surprises me that they aren’t scared, I see them with a spark, they look at me with a face saying ‘Put me on, you’ll see that it will go well’,” said Xavi. “I saw that with Gavi, Balde, Lamine, Fermin, and with Marc, he doesn’t look afraid.” Xavi started Inigo Martinez at the back against his former club and 20-year-old Fermin Lopez on the left of the attack, another academy product, with Barcelona down to the bare bones. Several regular starters, including key striker Robert Lewandowski, are out injured. Felix clipped the top of the crossbar but the hosts were negated in the first half by former Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic, who took the sting out of the game and occasionally sprang forward with both Williams brothers threatening from the flanks. Marc-Andre ter Stegen tipped over an Inaki Williams effort and then parried a strike from the Ghana international, with Martinez producing a sublime block to deny his sibling Nico from the rebound. Approaching the hour mark Barcelona carved out their best chance, when Simon brilliantly denied Lopez from close range, after initially saving from Felix’s low strike. Another followed when Felix fed substitute Lamine Yamal in the area but the 16-year-old starlet dragged his shot wide of the near post. The teenager’s arrival helped Barcelona gain the upper hand and Joao Cancelo was the next to draw a save from the watchful Simon. Instant impact

◎ 78:41 - Marc Guiu comes on
◉ 79:14- Marc Guiu scores

A dream Barcelona debut for the 17-year-old as he scores with his first-ever shot in senior football. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/0P0XTR75gv

— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) October 22, 2023

Xavi brought on Guiu in the 79th minute and with his very first touch he broke into the area and then with another confidently fired past Simon. “It’s the best day of his life, surely,” added Xavi. Full of energy, the striker was soon booked for an attempted slide tackle which caught the goalkeeper as he tried to stop him clearing his lines, as he was roared on by the jubilant home fans. “Today we scratched back two points on Madrid and it’s vital to win this Clasico because we’re playing at home,” added Xavi. Barcelona’s victory takes them above Atletico Madrid, fourth, while Valverde’s Athletic are sixth. “I’m annoyed because it went just past me and maybe I could have done a bit more,” Simon told DAZN. “We really wanted to get three points to make a big gap above seventh place.” Earlier Girona thumped bottom-of-the-table Almeria after coming back from two goals down. The Catalan side continued their superb season, levelling leaders Real Madrid on 25 points after 10 games after Los Blancos drew 1-1 at Sevilla on Saturday. Almeria, still chasing their first win of the season, moved ahead when Leo Baptistao netted after two minutes and then struck again mid-way through the first half to delight coach Gaizka Garitano in his first game. However Michel’s Girona responded in a remarkable six-minute salvo before the break, started by Ivan Martin in the 37th minute after he had an earlier strike ruled offside. Artem Dovbyk bagged a brace of his own with two neat finishes in the 39th and 43rd minute to send the hosts ahead. Brazilian winger Savinho and substitute Cristhian Stuani rounded off the rout. Premier League: Aston Villa thrash West Ham to close in on top four [caption id=“attachment_13285182” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Aston Villa players celebrate after beating West Ham United at Villa Park. AP[/caption] Unai Emery urged Aston Villa to chase their dreams this season after thrashing West Ham 4-1 on Sunday to close within two points of the top of the Premier League. Douglas Luiz scored twice, while Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey were also on target as Villa recorded an 11th consecutive home Premier League win. Villa have been transformed in just over a year since Emery took charge, with only Manchester City and Arsenal having won more Premier League points in 2023. Victory takes Villa up to fifth in the table, but within striking distance of leaders City. Captain John McGinn has spoken of harbouring ambitions to qualify for the Champions League and Emery is focused on at least securing European football for a second consecutive season. “One of our dreams is to be with the top seven teams and to do something in Europe,” said Emery, whose side are in the Europa Conference League this season. “To get European football is very important and that is the work we need to try to do. We need to be consistent in what we are doing.” Luiz is just one of a number of players that are performing at a different level under the Spaniard and continued his scoring streak at Villa Park. The Brazilian became the first Villa player to score in six consecutive home Premier League games when his strike from the edge of the box had too much power for Alphonse Areola in the West Ham goal on 30 minutes. Luiz then took the chance to double his side’s advantage from the penalty spot early in the second period after Edson Alvarez tripped Ezri Konsa. Jarrod Bowen reduced West Ham’s arrears just five minutes later when his shot spun off Pau Torres into the far corner for his 100th career goal. However, any hope of a Hammers’ fightback was snuffed out by the in-form Watkins on an afternoon that proved a reality check for David Moyes’ men. “I see the players every day and know the levels. We need to play really well to keep it up with the top six teams,” said Moyes. “The players are good players but as you can see, if this is the level we need to reach, then we need to improve greatly.” Fresh from scoring the winner against Australia for England in a rare run out at international level as Harry Kane’s understudy, Watkins blasted in his eighth goal of the season from a narrow angle. Bailey then exemplified the impressive attacking arsenal that Villa have amassed in recent transfer windows. The Jamaican was left on the bench as Nicolo Zaniolo started despite being the subject of an investigation from Italian prosecutors over a betting scandal. But Bailey made the most of his 15 minutes on the field as he cut inside Nayef Aguerd with a stepover and fired into the top corner. Serie A: Locatelli sinks 10-man Milan as Juve close in on Inter [caption id=“attachment_13285192” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Manuel Locatelli celebrates after a Serie A match between Juventus and AC Milan. AP[/caption] An emotional Manuel Locatelli fired Juventus to within two points of Serie A leaders Inter Milan with the only goal in Sunday’s 1-0 win at 10-man AC Milan, the Italy midfielder’s boyhood club. Massimiliano Allegri’s side prevailed at a packed San Siro thanks to Manuel Locatelli’s long-range strike in the 62nd minute, seven years to the day after scoring the winning goal for Milan against Juve. Juve, who like Milan were missing a clutch of first-choice players from their starting XI, stay third but are closing in on Inter and a point behind Milan who have surrendered top spot to their local rivals. Milan youth product Locatelli broke down in tears at the final whistle but his shot wouldn’t have got past third-choice goalkeeper Antonio Mirante had it not been for a massive deflection off substitute Rade Krunic. “It’s always special playing here,” said Locatelli to DAZN. “Life took me on another path and I’m playing for the team I should be. But it’s amazing that it was my goal which won it. It was emotional.” Mirante, starting his first match in over two years, hadn’t had a single save to make up to that point, even after Malick Thiaw was sent off five minutes before the break for rugby tackling Moise Kean. Italy forward Kean then missed a golden opportunity to put Juve ahead on the stroke of half-time when he pushed Adrien Rabiot’s deep cross wide from inches out. Milan started the second half stronger but Locatelli’s goal deflated the hosts and led to the rest of the match being almost a non-event, as Juve were content to simply control the match rather than press home their advantage. Mirante did make his presence felt late on, neatly tipping over substitute Dusan Vlahovic’s drive with five minutes remaining and pulling off a brilliant double save from Andrea Cambiaso and Vlahovic. Milan now have to travel to PSG on Wednesday before facing champions Napoli in Naples next weekend after an unfortunate defeat. “We played well with 11 men, we played well with 10 men, if we’d been a bit more alert then we could have got a result because we weren’t the worse team even when we were a man down,” said Milan coach Stefano Pioli. Roma late show Stephan El Shaarawy pushed Roma to within touching distance of the Champions League places when he lashed the only goal of a 1-0 win over Monza at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Roma, who also struck the woodwork late on through Romelu Lukaku and Sardar Azmoun, are seventh following their third straight league win and three points behind Napoli and fourth-placed Fiorentina who face Empoli on Monday. El Shaarawy’s first goal of the season came in the final minute of a tough match against 11th-placed Monza who had to play the entire second half with 10 men following Danilo D’Ambrosio’s harsh sending off for two bookable offences four minutes before half-time. “When I saw Azmoun’s shot, more than Lukaku’s, hit the post I thought, ‘Bah, if that doesn’t go in’… but Stephan has a feeling for goals and scoring late so he won the match for us,” said Mourinho to Sky Sport. Mourinho was sent off in stoppage time as tensions flared between the two dugouts after El Shaarawy struck, the Portuguese making a crying motion at the Monza staff. Defeat for Monza was harsh as the away side put up a brave fight despite being a man down for half the match, El Shaarawy’s winner the first goal they have conceded from open play since being thumped by Atalanta at the start of September. Roma were briefly sixth but were bumped down a place by Atalanta who squeezed to a 2-0 win over promoted Genoa which took them up to 16 points, two ahead of Mourinho’s team. Bologna are nestled behind Roma on goal difference after beating promoted Frosinone 2-1 while Filippo Inzaghi’s new team Salernitana and Cagliari drew 2-2 in a frantic match between two struggling sides. Ligue 1: Monaco retake top spot, Lyon fall to bottom [caption id=“attachment_13285212” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Monaco beat Metz to move top of Ligue 1 in France. AP[/caption] Aleksandr Golovin scored twice as Monaco battled back from a goal down to defeat Metz 2-1 on Sunday and return to the Ligue 1 summit, as winless Lyon slumped to the foot of the table. Monaco had started the weekend at the top of the table, but wins for Paris Saint-Germain and Nice had seen them slip to third place. Senegalese teenager Lamine Camara gave struggling Metz a surprise lead in the fourth minute. But Adi Huetter’s Monaco did not panic and almost equalised through Mohamed Camara, before Russian Golovin hammered home in the 42nd minute. Golovin curled in a brilliant free-kick around the wall early in the second half to give the hosts the lead and they held on with ease. Monaco moved back one point clear at the top from second-placed Nice, with reigning champions PSG a point further back in third. “We have to work a lot, a lot in certain areas of the field,” said Huetter, who succeeded Philippe Clement as Monaco coach before the start of the season. “During the match, I wasn’t really calm. But I’m very happy with the fact that we’re the leaders, with three consecutive victories.” Lyon’s abysmal start to the campaign continued as the seven-time French champions were beaten 2-1 at home by previous bottom club Clermont. Fabio Grosso’s side remain without a victory in nine league matches this term and have only three points on the board after a turbulent few months. The hosts fell two goals down before half-time as goals from Muhammed Cham and Yohann Magnin put Clermont on track for their first win of the season. An own goal from Florent Ogier early in the second period gave Lyon hope, but they could not find an equaliser and are now the joint-lowest scorers in the division with Clermont on just seven goals. “We’re not where we should be,” Lyon president John Textor told Amazon Prime. “There is no risk of relegation but we could have a mediocre season, that is possible. “That is the risk. I believe in our coach, I believe in the team, everyone is working really hard.” Lille beat Brest 1-0 with an early goal from Yusuf Yazici which saw them climb above their opponents into fourth on goal difference. Elsewhere, Toulouse and Reims played out a 1-1 draw, while Nantes saw off Montpellier 2-0. On Saturday, PSG cruised past Strasbourg 3-0 and Nice edged out 10-man rivals Marseille 1-0.