PSG's Kylian Mbappe (R) celebrates with Lionel Messi after scoring his second goal against Monaco during their Ligue 1 match in Paris, France, December 12, 2021. /CFP
Kylian Mbappe reached a century of Ligue 1 goals for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) with a brace in Sunday's 2-0 win over his old club Monaco at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France.
Mbappe opened the scoring with an early penalty and then grabbed a second just before half-time after being set up by Lionel Messi to get his 100th goal in France's top flight since moving to PSG in 2017.
The victory allowed PSG to extend their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to 13 points from Marseille, who won 2-0 at Strasbourg earlier on Sunday and have a game in hand.
"It was a professional performance and we deserved to win. Kylian was extraordinary once again," PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino told broadcaster Amazon Prime.
"We are very pleased with our results, but we can improve our performances," he admitted later.
Karim Benzema (L) of Real Madrid and Matheus Cunha of Atletico de Madrid battle for the ball during their La Liga match in Madrid, Spain, December 12, 2021. /CFP
In La Liga, Real Madrid won 2-0 against a listless Atletico Madrid on Sunday, securing a 10th straight victory in all competitions that tightened their grip on top spot in the league.
Karim Benzema, who had been a question mark for the game with a leg injury and only played the first 45 minutes, made the most of his time on the pitch, hitting a beautiful volley from Vinicius Jr's perfect cross to open the scoring in the first half.
It was the 17th goal of his career against Atletico and 13th of the season to lead the La Liga scoring chart.
Vinicius Jr did not score but was man of the match after earning another assist early in the second half, this time for Marco Asensio as Real extended to 11 their unbeaten streak against their local rivals in La Liga.
Carlo Ancelotti's team are currently cruising at the top of the table, eight points clear of second-placed Sevilla and 13 above Atletico in fourth, albeit having played a game more than both.
"To win a derby is very important to our fans and I bet they left the stadium really happy," Asensio told reporters.
Sergio Busquets (R) of Barcelona and Unai Garcia of Osasuna during their La Liga match in Pamplona, Spain, December 12, 2021. /CFP
Barcelona let three points slip from their grasp at Osasuna as a late stunner from Chimy Avila secured a 2-2 draw for the hosts on Sunday.
Deprived of seven key players due to injury, Barca coach Xavi Hernandez was forced to turn to his youngsters, and 19-year-olds Nico Gonzalez and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli both scored as the visitors twice took the lead.
Xavi had told reporters on Saturday that he was worried after their 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich which saw them exit the Champions League at the group stage for the first time in almost two decades.
He said the club needed "a reset" to create a new Barcelona.
Yet their performance on Sunday in Pamplona was more of the same, as his team continued to struggle to create opportunities and keep their opponents at bay.
Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal against Cagliari during their Serie A match in Milan, Italy, December 12, 2021. /CFP
Inter Milan took advantage of their title rivals, slipping up with a thumping 4-0 win over Cagliari on Sunday which ensured they moved top of Serie A.
Reigning champions Inter moved a point ahead of local rivals AC Milan with a statement performance at the San Siro against the Sardinians who had goalkeeper Alessio Cragno to thank the hosts didn't run up double figures.
Lautaro Martinez's brace and two more superb goals from Hakan Calhanoglu and Alexis Sanchez extended Inter's domestic unbeaten run to nine matches.
(With input from agencies)