European football - as it happened

1. FT: Sampdoria 2-2 AC Milan
2. Milan's Bonera sent off
3. FT: Real Madrid 5-1 Rayo Vallecano
4. Bale, Ramos, Kroos and Benzema score for Real
5. Ronaldo on target for 10th league game in a row

Anyway that's all from another thrilling night of European football.

Barcelona and Real Madrid win, Cristiano Ronaldo scores again and AC Milan and Sampdoria see out a topsy-turvy draw.

Join us again tomorrow with Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and a top of table clash between PSG and Marseille in France the focus of our attention.

Until then. Cheerio.

Italian Serie A

BBC

AC Milan had more of the ball but Sampdoria won the shot count. A draw? Fair result.

Italian Serie A

BBC

Sampdoria move into a Champions League spot with their point. They would have taken that at the start of the campaign.

FULL-TIME

Italian Serie A

Getty Images

Milan are now winless in four matches but a draw against in-form Sampdoria isn't a bad result. Both sides will be reasonably happy with that.

Italian Serie A

Milan would be winless in four matches if this match stays as it is. With two minutes left though, they are more concerned with avoiding a second straight defeat.

RED CARD TO MILAN

Daniele Bonera receives a second yellow card for blocking Stefano Okaka. Four minutes for the visitors to hold on.

CLOSE!

Italian Serie A

So close to Milan taking the lead.

Fernando Torres advances down the right, pulls the ball back for Giacomo Bonaventura, and the Italian's low shot is inches wide of the post.

Seven minutes left.

Italian Serie A

Reuters

Shoot on sight for Milan and Michael Essien, Giacomo Bonaventura and Jeremy Menez see shots blocked with the space of 30 seconds. The visitors are on top now.

Stat attack

Italian Serie A

Eder has scored the 8th Sampdoria set piece goal so far this season: a record in the current Serie A.

The hosts will hope to have a few more chances to add to that stat in the remaining 14 minutes.....

YELLOW CARD

Italian Serie A

Eder has been fantastic this evening. The Brazilian is a danger every time he gets the ball.

This time his mazy run is halted by Mattia De Sciglio's cynical trip. A deserved yellow.

Italian Serie A

Getty Images

This is anyone's game now. Stephan El Shaarawy is sent clear down the left but, with Fernando Torres waiting, his cross is blocked at the near post.

Italian Serie A

Chance for Fernando Torres as he takes the ball on his chest and, for a moment, looks like he has a shooting chance. The striker is bundled out of it before being penalised.

Join the debate at #bbceurofooty

Steve Howes: Ronaldo or Messi score but so would my nan in Spain. Until there are teams capable of mounting a challenge where's the interest?

Tell champions Atletico Madrid that Steve....

GOAL

Italian Serie A

AP

Jeremy Menez makes no mistake as he waits for the goalkeeper to move and slots the ball into the other corner. Level again and game on.

PENALTY TO MILAN

Italian Serie A

A route back into the game for Milan as left back Djamel Mesbah slips and handles a cross from the left. Right decision but very unfortunate for the defender.

Italian Serie A

Into the last 30 minutes at Sampdoria. At the moment the hosts looks firmly in control but that can change with a swing of a boot......

Italian Serie A

Is this his time? Fernando Torres is on for AC Milan.

He owes them a performance after a pretty poor start to life at the San Siro. He has just one goal so far.

Italian Serie A

Reuters

Sampdoria will move back into third if they can keep hold of this result, just three points behind leaders Juventus - albeit having played a game more. Milan will be six points behind Samp in eighth with defeat.

La Liga table

And so, as expected, Barcelona's time at the top of the table is short-lived. Real's victory restores their two-point lead over their Catalan rivals, with Valencia and Atletico both in action tomorrow.

BBC

GOAL

Italian Serie A

AP

The Sampdoria fans are making themselves heard now. Pedro Obiang heads a right-wing corner against the post but Eder is the quickest to react to tap home for his second of the season.

Milan heading for a second successive defeat?

FULL-TIME

It's all over in the Bernabeu and another Real rout is complete. The European champions have now won 13 games in a row, scoring no less than 52 goals in the process. It is the fifth time they've scored five or more goals in their last eight league games.

KICK-OFF

Italian Serie A

How these two sides could do with a Cristiano Ronaldo..... Mind you, who couldn't?

Stat attack

Reuters

Ronaldo now has 18 league goals this season, at least one in each of the 10 games he has played. He has 23 in 17 matches in all competitions. Ridiculous.

It had to happen, didn't it? Cristiano Ronaldo gets his goal, but not without a healthy dollop of good fortune. Isco's through-ball finds Ronaldo in space. He cuts inside to set up the shot, which is weak, but somehow scrambles under the body of Alvarez and into the net.

GOAL

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Stat attack

Italian Serie A

AP

Stephan El Shaarawy found the net in Serie A after a 622 days long goalles run.

BALE HITS THE WOODWORK

Just after I've bigged him up, Bale delivers another explosive moment. The ball sits up nicely for him 30 yards out and he unleashes a fierce half-volley that Alvarez just manages to palm onto the crossbar.

Italian Serie A

BBC

Sampdoria will feel they have done more than enough to deserve that late equaliser. Nine shots to Milan's four.......

Join the debate at #bbceurofooty

Kit Chang Wong: Why is it when English players go to RM they grow ridiculous barnets i.e. Bale, Woodgate and Becks. Hairbands and football, NO

Isco is a lovely player, so easy on the eye, but you can see why he misses out to Gareth Bale in Ancelotti's first XI. He just doesn't quite have the Welshman's searing pace. It's not a bad problem for the Italian boss to have though.

HALF-TIME

Italian Serie A

AC Milan barely have time to restart the match. What a second half we have in store.

GOAL

Italian Serie A

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That has been coming and what a well-worked move it is as well.

Sampdoria's danger man Manolo Gabbiadini works his way to the bye-line before crossing low for Stefano Okaka to tap home.

It's been a good performance from Real, but not without its flaws. Here's another shaky moment from stand-in keeper Navas as he comes out to meet a cross from deep, but is beaten to the ball by Abdoulaye Ba. His header loops narrowly wide.

Italian Serie A

Apologies Sampdoria fans, that wasn't worth the big build-up.

Manolo Gabbiadinicurls the free-kick well over the bar.

Speak of the devil... Ronaldo is played in by Bale, but his shot is kept out one-handed by Alvarez at his near post.

Italian Serie A

AP

Five minutes to go in the first half and Sampdoria have a free-kick 30 yards out......

Stat attack

Cristiano Ronaldo has assisted in four of the last six Real Madrid's goals in La Liga.

SUBSTITUTION

As predicted, Ancelotti starts to ring the changes. James Rodriguez is withdrawn and Isco comes on in his place.

Italian Serie A

Chance. Roberto Soriano should really do better with a header from eight yards. As it is, his downward effort is easy for Diego Lopez. He got into space far too easily though as far as Milan are concerned.

We've got half an hour left and this game is as good as up. In fact, I would expect Carlo Ancelotti to start bringing off some of his big guns soon. Poor old Rayo, they've given this a good go, but Real have been as ruthless as ever and enjoyed the rub of the green.

Italian Serie A

Jeremy Menez has a shot blocked as AC Milan try to wrestle control back from Sampdoria. Good work from Keisuke Honda down the right but Menez is crowded out. This is a good game with both sides looking dangerous. Next goal could be crucial.

GOAL

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Game over. Cristiano Ronaldo's cross-shot is tapped in by Karim Benzema. But replays show the Frenchman was some distance off side.

Italian Serie A

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Sampdoria are suddenly on top. Diego Lopez is let off the hook as he races out of goal, misses the ball, but Manolo Gabbiadini is crowded out and the chance is lost. We have a game on our hands.

GOAL

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Small margins and all that. Rayo have a goal ruled out for a marginal offside, and moments later Real are all but out of sight. Ronaldo is the creator, breaking down the right and then pulling the ball back for Toni Kroos. The German is about 25 yards out, but his low, curling side-footed shot nestles beautifully in the corner of the net.

Luka Modric doesn't score very often, and this is why. Bale rolls the ball across to the Croatian, who is in space inside the box, but his shot is well off target.

GREAT SAVE!

Italian Serie A

Having said that, the hosts are almost level.

Brazilian Eder bursts down the right and his low shot-cum-cross is tipped wide by goalkeeper Diego Lopez. That's better Sampdoria.

Spanish La Liga

Pepe is back, with a white plaster on his skull. Ronaldo feeds Bale on the right, but the Welshman's control lets him down. Ronaldo looks absolutely disgusted with his slightly inferior team-mate.

Italian Serie A

It shouldn't be forgotten that Sampdoria have started the season in fine style, sitting fourth in Serie A with 19 points from 10 games.

Coach Siniaa Mihajlovic said in his news conference yesterday "to stay in heaven, we have to beat the devils."

He won't be happy with what he has seen so far.

Spanish La Liga

We have a stoppage and claret is the cause. With blood pouring from Pepe's head the Portuguese defender has to be led off the field before play can resume.

Italian Serie A

Getty Images

Milan come forward again and this time Stephan El Shaarawy's dangerous cross if flicked away for a corner by Sampdoria. Keisuke Honda's delivery comes to nothing but you can't help feeling it is a matter of time before Milan double their lead. They mean business.

FULL-TIME

French Ligue 1

Lens 1-2Bordeaux

Italian Serie A

Milan have done more in the opening 15 minutes here than they did in the entire match against Palmero last weekend. They are well in control.

KICK-OFF

We are back under way.

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Before kick-off at the Bernabeu, Cristiano Ronaldo was presented with the Golden Boot for European top scorer, an award he shared with Luis Suarez. He has 45 minutes to score for the 10th league game in a row.

The error from James Rodriguez does not get any better with every fresh viewing. He was thrown the ball by keeper Keylor Navas under a bit of pressure, but inexplicably turned backwards and played a weak pass across the face of his own box. He'll be the one tucked away in the corner of the dressing-room desperately trying to avoid the manager's gaze.

GOAL

Italian Serie A

AFP

What. A. Goal.

It has been a long time coming but boy was it worth the wait. Stephan El Shaarawy collects the ball just inside his attacking half, beats two defenders, cuts inside and curls the ball into the top corner.

It is his first goal since February 2013. You wonder how that is possible with finishing like that. Brilliant.

Join the debate at #bbcfootball

Joel Ejike Ikemba: Ronaldo right now is the hottest player on the planet, Messi performance have been below par lately.

Fissuh H Kelelom: Ronaldo is absolutely above all at the moment! Remember he is a winger ,not a striker but he is everywhere and does everything.

Dortmund bottom of the Bundesliga

German Bundesliga

BBC

Werder Bremen have just beaten Stuttgart 2-0, which means Borussia Dortmund go bottom of the Bundesliga this evening.

They may have won four out of four in the Champions League but in the league they are having a nightmare. Dortmund play Borussia Monchengladbach tomorrow.

Italian Serie A

Getty Images

A cautious start from both teams so far. No real chances, no real talking points. Don't worry it will get better......

HALF-TIME

Gareth Bale lands a free-kick on the top of the Rayo goal before the referee blows up to round off the half.

GOAL

A howler from James and Rayo pull one back. The Colombian's dreadful backpass is straight into the path of Leo Baptistao. He bides his time before squaring for Alberto Bueno, who rounds the keeper and taps home. A absolute gift.

KICK-OFF

Italian Serie A

Was last week's home defeat to Palermo a mere blip for Milan or a symptom of something more serious? We will soon find out.

GOAL

It's not the prettiest goal, but they all count. A James Rodriguez corner from the right is glanced on to Sergio Ramos, who uses his thigh to conjure a looping effort into the far corner. That's the Spain defender's 50th goal for Real Madrid.

AFP/GETTY

GREAT SAVE!

Real Madrid have gone up a gear. James Rodriguez, who seems to deal exclusively in spectacular goals, draws a superb save from Alvarez. From the resultant corner, Benzema heads on to the top of the crossbar.

Join the debate at #bbceurofooty

AFP

vaishnav: Ronaldo is two levels ahead of everyone else, he has scored 9 La Liga games on the trot and Messi hasn't scored in three.

This isn't quite the free-flowing Real Madrid of recent weeks. A few tired legs from the Champions League in midweek? Gareth Bale shows some fleetness of foot to escape his marker down the right, but his flighted cross is beyond the reach of Ronaldo.

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Can you hear the drums Fernando? No? I'm not surprised.

Few will banging the drums where Torres is concerned after a pretty dismal start to life at Milan.

Things haven't started well for him since signing on a two-year loan deal from Chelsea in the summer, with just one goal in eight appearances.

He is on the bench today....

Half chance for Rayo. Baptistao gets his head on a fine cross from the right, but his angled effort slides past the post.

LINE-UPS

Italian Serie A

Sampdoria: Romero; De Silvestri, Gastaldello, Silvestre, Mesbah; Soriano, Obiang, Duncan; Gabbiadini, Okaka, Eder

AC Milan: Diego Lopez; De Sciglio, Mexes, Rami, Bonera; Essien, De Jong, Bonaventura; Honda, Menez, El Shaarawy. Subs: Abbiati, Agazzi, Albertazzi, Armero, Zaccardo, Zapata, Poli, Saponara, Van Ginkel, Niang, Pazzini, Torres

SUBSTITUTION

Rayo are forced into an early change as Insua slips badly and appears to pull a muscle. Quini is his replacement.

Ooh, what a let-off for Rayo midfielder Mohammed Fatau. He tackles Ronaldo from behind as the Portuguese bears down on goal, but the referee does not give a free-kick. The Bernabeu faithful whistle in disapproval. It probably should have been a yellow card, not a red, because Insua would have come across to cover.

The rain is teeming down out in Madrid. Roberto Trashorras slides across the slick surface and takes out Rodriguez. He's lucky to escape a booking for that.

Rayo try their luck from range. Baptistão draws a save from Navas, who then pushes Bueno's effort away for a corner is less than convincing fashion.

AFP

Another entry, another Ronaldo chance. Benzema and James Rodridguez work the ball to the Portuguese inside the area on the left, but his shot is high and wild.

Insua is comfortably Rayo's best player. Two crosses from the left cause problems. The first is blocked by Sergio Ramos at full stretch. The second is turned behind for a corner by Marcelo.

Join the debate at #bbceurofooty

Is Gareth Bale right when he says Ronaldo is on a different planet to everyone else?

Adam Maxwell: Watching both Ronaldo and Messi over the last two years, Ronaldo has eclipsed Messi.

SaMmiiEE: Ronaldo is clearly on another level...his only competition hasn't been playing at his best leaving only Ronaldo at that level.

Rayo's response? Muted thus far. In all honesty, they are probably fearing the worst. Ronaldo is lurking menacingly as usual, unleashing another drive that Alvarez gathers.

GOAL

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Like a warm knife through butter. Ronaldo feeds Toni Kroos down the left and the German's low cross is so inviting for Gareth Bale. The Welshman sticks out that famous left foot and taps in from three yards.

An early sighter for Rayo. Former Liverpool left-back Insua intercepts the ball in midfield and feeds Chelsea loanee Gael Kakuta, who drags his shot from distance wide.

AFP

Real Madrid are already purring along like a well-oiled Harley-Davidson, with Modric catching the eye in midfield. Ronaldo fires in the first shot from the edge of the area, but it's straight at keeper Alvarez.

KICK-OFF

Cristiano Ronaldo gets us underway in the Bernabeu. The Portuguese has scored in his last nine league games; his best ever run in a Real Madrid shirt.

Getty Images

The atmosphere is building in and around the Bernabeu. In the tunnel, the Real players are high-fiving the real mascots. The choice of Keylor Navas in the Real goal is a bit of a surprise, but after six clean sheets in his last eight games, I think Iker Casillas has earned a rest.

Join the debate at #bbceurofooty

Is Gareth Bale right to say Ronaldo is "another level to everyone else"?

Hishaam Habib: No he isn't. Yes at this moment he is the best in the world, but not in a different category than Messi.

Rob Hall: No, Messi is a force of nature. Ronaldo would be best in the world in almost any other era though.

George: Level below Messi, level above every other player. So yes.

Italian Serie A

AP

Spanish football will dominate the early part of our commentary, but from 19:45 GMT we'll also be bringing you coverage from Serie A, where sleeping giants AC Milan are taking on Sampdoria.

The Rossoneri were humiliated with a 2-0 home defeat to Palmero last time out - can they recover?

To be fair, Filippo Inzaghi's men started the season well enough, having been unbeaten for six games prior, but they need a response at Sampdoria this evening.

Stay tuned for all the updates.

FULL-TIME

German Bundesliga

Bayer Leverkusen0-0 Mainz 05

Eintracht Frankfurt 0-4 Bayern Munich

Freiburg2-0 Schalke 04

Hoffenheim 3-4 FC Cologne

Augsburg 3-0 Paderborn

Brilliant Bayern march on

German Bundesliga

Thomas Muller scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 to go seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

Muller converted Franck Ribery's cross to give the unbeaten champions a half-time lead, then rounded off a counter-attack to make it 2-0. He raced clear to complete his treble before substitute Xherdan Shaqiri late close-range effort completed the rout.

Bayern have now won six of their past seven league games.

Rayo who?

Based in the the Madrid suburb of Vallecas, Rayo have always lived in the shadow of illustrious neighbours Real and Atletico. However, this is their fourth successive season in the top-flight and they reached an all-time high of eighth in 2012-13.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid have tweeted a few stats about their head-to-head record against Rayo Vallecano. A repeat of their last La Liga home match against them would certainly do Carlo Ancelotti's men.....

Real Madrid v Rayo Vallecano (19:00 GMT)

Fifteen minutes until kick-off in the Bernabeu. Here are tonight's teams:

Real Madrid: Keylor Navas; Ramos, Pepe, Nacho, Marcelo; Kroos, Modric, James; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo

Rayo: Cristian; Tito, Ze, Abdoulaye, Insua; Kakuta, Fatau, Trashorras, Lica; Bueno, Baptistao

Suarez inspires Barcelona comeback

Getty Images

Speaking of Messi and his merry men... the Argentina star failed to score for the third league game in a row, and remains one behind Telmo Zarra's all-time La Liga record of 251 goals, but Barcelona came from behind to beat Almeria 2-1.

Luis Suarez came off the bench to set up both goals as Barca temporarily went top of the league, one point ahead of Real.

Don't be shy...

If you're out there following our live commentary, we want to hear from you. Is Bale right to say Ronaldo is "on another level to everyone else" at the moment? Will Lionel Messi ever score a league goal again? Should Bayern Munich just be handed the Bundesliga title now to put everyone else out of their misery?

Get involved via #bbceurofooty on Twitter.

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'On another level'

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Ahead of tonight's game, Gareth Bale has been talking to Football Focus. In the interview, he said playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo fuelled his ambition to become the world's best player.

In total the 29-year-old Portugal international has scored 194 league goals in 174 appearances for Real, while netting 55 times in 55 Champions League matches for the current holders.

"I'm improving all the time and trying to get to the level Cristiano's at," said Bale.

"The amount of goals he scores and what he does for the team is incredible. Nobody is living up to that at. At the moment he's on another level to everyone else."

Between them the Frenchman, the Welshman and the Portuguese have scored 26 league goals and contributed 11 assists this season. Bale has missed the past five matches with a muscle injury as Real extended their winning run to 13 games, but he's back in the starting line-up for the visit of Rayo Vallecano.

Welcome back to the BBC...

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Sorry for any confusion folks. That headline is not intended as self-congratulation. It's not us boys at the Beeb arrogantly delighting in our return to Euro service. No, no, no. It's a reference to Real Madrid's lethal front three of (Karim) Benzema, (Gareth) Bale and Cristiano (Ronaldo), christened the BBC by the Spanish press and reunited in the white of Real Madrid this evening.