In our weekly feature, Winners and Losers, Flashscore looks at who is flying high and who is struggling in the world of football.
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Winner: Paulo Fonseca moved to tears of joy
Words are starting to fall short when it comes to describing Paulo Fonseca’s work at Lyon, so the French club’s fans have turned to gestures to show their appreciation for the Portuguese coach.
In a season that was expected to be tough after a turbulent summer, with the club being administratively relegated for several weeks, Lyon rebuilt itself but kept Paulo Fonseca as the cornerstone of the project.
After 13 straight wins in all competitions, the latest against Nice (2-0), and with Lyon now in a Champions League qualifying spot, their fans showed their gratitude to Paulo Fonseca, who couldn’t hold back tears as he was applauded by the demanding supporters of this historic club.
Loser: Atleti again?
Atletico Madrid once again showed that they struggle with post-cup hangovers and slipped up in LaLiga.
Diego Simeone’s side have picked up just one point from their last three league games and this weekend were humbled 3-0 by Rayo Vallecano, a team dealing with internal issues, leaving Atleti already 15 points behind league leaders Real Madrid.
After thrashing Betis and Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, the colchoneros have put the league on the back burner, and Oblak’s post-match criticism couldn’t have been more direct. Fifth place is now just four points away...
Winner: Assist King Ryerson
In Germany, Dortmund are still chasing leaders Bayern Munich from a distance, and this round they thrashed Mainz 4-0 to keep the gap at six points.
Norwegian Julian Ryerson was crucial to Nico Kovac’s team’s win, even though he’s yet to score this season, and he was directly involved in all four goals on Friday night.
The full-back continues his outstanding season, providing assists for all four Dortmund goals, though there’s still debate over whether the fourth goal, which came from a Ryerson corner, should count as an assist. Either way, it was enough for a 9.4 rating from Flashscore.
Loser: Kalulu’s red card spoils the party
There are moments that define championships, and unfortunately for the profession, referees can also play a decisive role in these outcomes.
In an era of detailed reviews and VAR penalties, Pierre Kalulu’s sending off in the 42nd minute of Inter vs Juventus deserves a closer look.
The French international received his second yellow at a time when the match was level, thanks to a dive by Alessandro Bastoni, who celebrated tricking referee Federico La Penna and provoking the sending off of his positional rival. Inter went on to win 3-2 late on and now lead Serie A more comfortably than ever.
Winner: The New Saints
The New Saints’ historic dominance in Wales continues, with the club now on the verge of celebrating their 13th title in the last 15 seasons, after Friday’s 2-0 win over Colwyn Bay.
With this latest stroll to victory, the Welsh side became the first European club to secure qualification for next season’s European competitions, days before the start of the 2025/26 Champions League play-offs.
Despite this early qualification, it’s unlikely that TNS will carry this success into European football, as they have never managed to reach the main stages of the Champions League or Europa League.
Loser: PSG slip up
If things go as expected, PSG will be crowned French champions once again, but Luis Enrique’s team isn’t as stable as last season and keeps getting caught out in Ligue 1.
Against a struggling Rennes side with an interim coach, the Parisians suffered their third league defeat and dropped to second place.
Credit must go to Lens, who didn’t slip up and took advantage of this latest PSG stumble to reclaim the Ligue 1 lead with a resounding 5-0 away win at Paris FC.
Winners: Scottish league heating up
We finish on a positive note, as the 2025/26 season in the Scottish Premiership is shaping up to be far more exciting than usual.
Hearts remain top by just two points, despite losing 4-2 to Rangers, who have bounced back from a dreadful start to the season and saw Portuguese striker Chermiti shine with a hat-trick, cancelling out the efforts of compatriot Claudio Braga.
Watching from the sidelines, Celtic almost slipped up and were close to dropping points where they could have gained ground on their two title rivals.
At half-time, the Hoops were 2-0 down away to Kilmarnock, but Julian Araujo scored the winning goal in the 97th minute to leave Martin O'Neill’s side three points off the top with a game in hand. Finally, some real drama!
