GOAL brings you all the major takeaways from British stars playing overseas, including the current England captain and Los Blancos' star midfielder
There are still a few weeks left in the 2024-25 campaign, but the key narratives have already been wrapped up in England and Scotland. Liverpool moved 13 points clear at the Premier League summit by beating West Ham on Sunday, while Ipswich and Leicester both failed to win yet again, meaning it's now inevitable they will join doomed Southampton in dropping straight back down to the Championship.
In the Scottish Premiership, meanwhile, first-placed Celtic extended their lead over Rangers to 15 points, and although their arch-rival's last-gasp draw at Aberdeen forced the Hoops to cancel their title party, it won't be delayed for very long. British fans will, therefore, be deprived of a dramatic end to the campaign as most teams start shuffling their line ups and planning in earnest for next season.
Fortunately, there is plenty still at stake in Europe's other major leagues, and indeed in those on different continents. A host of homegrown stars currently plying their trades outside of Britain are being called upon to deliver as their clubs bid to finish on a high, and in the cases of England team-mates Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, with some silverware.
Kane did himself no favours in that regard on his latest outing for Bayern Munich, but Bellingham certainly stepped up for Madrid in their time of need. One Scottish star also made a decisive impact in La Liga this week, while another managed to do what Kane could not for his Bundesliga employers, and GOAL is on hand to shine a light on all of these expats in our latest edition of Brits Abroad…
GettyKane misfires in Klassiker
This has been a week to forget for Kane. After missing a golden chance in Bayern's 2-1 home defeat to Inter in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie, the former Tottenham star forgot his shooting boots again for Borussia Dortmund's visit to the Allianz Arena.
Bayern had the opportunity to open up a commanding eight-point lead over Bayer Leverkusen after the reigning champions' 0-0 draw with Union Berlin earlier on Saturday, but ultimately failed to see off a Dortmund side still reeling from their 4-0 hammering against Barcelona in the Champions League. However, Vincent Kompany's side would have almost certainly beaten BVB had Kane been more composed in front of goal.
In the first half, Kane should have scored with a close-range header and when he found himself through with only Gregor Kobel to beat, but on both occasions the Dortmund goalkeeper denied him. Kane then hit the woodwork late in the second half when he decided to go for a volley at the back post instead of stooping to nod in a cross, forcing Bayern to settle for a 2-2 draw.
Kane will likely still end his trophy curse given there are only five games left to play in the Bundesliga, but this was a huge opportunity missed. His England colleague Eric Dier didn't cover himself in glory either, with the 31-year-old caught on his heels for both of Dortmund's goals, and both men will have to up their games if Bayern are to have any hope of completing a comeback win over Inter at San Siro on Wednesday.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportBenched Bellingham gets Madrid over line
Carlo Ancelotti made the wise decision to rest Bellingham for Real Madrid's trip to Alaves on Sunday, after the midfielder's fruitless exertions in their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League. Bellingham would have probably hoped to remain among the substitutes, especially after Eduardo Camavinga put Madrid in front in the 34th minute, but an act of stupidity from Kylian Mbappe changed everything.
Mbappe was shown a red card for a horrible high tackle on Antonio Blanco shortly before the interval, and when Alaves started the second half in the ascendency, Ancelotti had no choice but to throw on the big guns. Bellingham and Vinicius Jr both entered the action after the hour mark, with the former putting in a gritty display to help 10-man Real close out a vital 1-0 victory.
Bellingham did squander a good chance to score a second for the visitors, but his industry in the middle of the park made all the difference as Madrid overcame their numerical disadvantage. The final result ensured that Los Blancos remain only four points behind Barca in La Liga's title race with seven games to go, and if Bellingham is in the same mood when Arsenal arrive at Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, a miraculous comeback cannot be ruled out.
AFPGreenwood & Marseille's UCL hopes damaged
Mason Greenwood snapped a three-game scoring drought with a wonder goal for Marseille in their 3-2 win against Toulouse last week, which was the perfect response to recent criticism from head coach Roberto De Zerbi. But after Saturday's nightmare trip to Monaco, the former Manchester United forward finds himself back at square one.
Marseille suffered a chastening 3-0 defeat at Stade Velodrome that saw Monaco leapfrog them into second place in the Ligue 1 table. It was a damaging blow to Les Phoceens' hopes of Champions League qualification, with Lyon, Lille, Strasbourg and Nice also fighting for a top-four berth, and Greenwood didn't do nearly enough to impose himself on proceedings.
Indeed, the 23-year-old was given a brutal 3/10 rating by French newspaper , who called out his "nonchalant" body language and asserted that "a player of his talent must do much more". It's impossible to disagree with that statement.
Greenwood is Marseille's top scorer with an impressive 17 Ligue 1 goals to his name, but he still goes missing far too often. De Zerbi needs Greenwood to start taking these kinds of games by the scruff of the neck if Marseille are to return to Europe's elite stage, with a crucial trip to Lille now looming large on the horizon.
Lingard to the rescue for Seoul
FC Seoul have not made the best start to the 2025 K League 1 season, winning just three of their opening eight games, but supporters will hope that Saturday's 2-2 draw against league leaders Daejeon Hana can be a turning point. Kim Gi-dong's side battled back from two goals down to steal a point on home soil, and Jesse Lingard was the man who completed their comeback with a well-taken effort 20 minutes from time.
Moon Seon-min, scorer of Seoul's first, was the architect as he embarked on a jinking run down the right flank before digging out a perfect cut-back for Lingard, who then calmly side-footed the ball past the Hana goalkeeper to level the scoreline. That was Lingard's second goal in as many home games for Seoul as they stayed within four points of the early pace-setters.
Lingard has three goals in eight K League appearances so far this term, which is already halfway to his final tally from 2024, and the ex-Manchester United star seems to be playing with a spring in his step again since being made Seoul captain. We shouldn't expect an England recall anytime soon, but Lingard might just attract some of Europe's big boys if he can keep it up.
