ROME: Lautaro Martinez came off the bench to score all four goals for Inter Milan as they won 4-0 victory at Salernitana to return to the top of Serie A.

The hosts had kept Inter at bay for the first hour, but fell apart after Martinez came on nine minutes after the break and bagged four goals in 27 minutes, including one from the penalty spot.

Inter had dropped three points below AC Milan in the table after their rivals won 2-0 against Lazio earlier on Saturday, but returned to the summit with 18 points from seven matches. Salernitana are 19th with three points.

While Inter dominated the match’s early stages, Salernitana gradually found their footing and managed to control the tempo in a goalless first half.

In Spain . . .

Real Madrid outclassed Girona 3-0 to return to the top of the LaLiga standings, thanks to goals from Joselu, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham.

Madrid moved on to 21 points from eight games, one ahead of Barcelona, who beat Sevilla 1-0 at home on Friday. Girona dropped to third.

Girona made a strong start and could have scored twice in the first five minutes, as Yangel Herrera directed a header over the bar from close range before Viktor Tsyhankov headed an effort onto the post.

After weathering the hosts’ dominant opening spell, Real took the lead in the 17th minute through Joselu’s simple finish following Bellingham’s delightful cross with the outside of his foot.

Tchouameni doubled Real’s lead four minutes later when he cleverly wriggled free of his marker before rising highest to head Toni Kroos’s corner into the net.

Bellingham should have scored in the 28th minute after he raced clear on goal, but his tame effort was excellently kept out by Girona keeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

Kroos also tested Gazzaniga just before halftime, letting fly with a spectacular volley that was tipped over the bar by the Argentine.

Girona did not give up and continued to push forward after the break, almost scoring when Aleix Garcia crossed for Herrera, whose downward header bounced up and over the bar.

Their resistance was snuffed out in the 71st minute when Joselu’s looping pass found Bellingham, who deftly steered home a volley to score his seventh goal in all competitions for Real and wrap up the win.

In Germany . . .

Bayern Munich struck twice in the second half to come from two goals down and snatch a 2-2 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday but the champions dropped to third place in the Bundesliga with their second draw of the season.

Goals from Leroy Sane and Harry Kane in the second half cancelled out Leipzig’s first-half lead but the result left Bayern on 14 points in third, two behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Leipzig, who host Manchester City in the Champions League next week, are fifth, a further point behind.

“Two very different halves from our perspective,” Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said. “In the first we started well but only for the first two minutes and missed that huge chance.”

The visitors should have gone in front in the third minute when Kane sent Jamal Musiala through but the Germany international fluffed his golden chance and saw his close-range effort parried by keeper Janis Blaswich.

Tuchel said: “We were too slow, made too many mistakes and were not courageous enough. After the break we showed a different mentality, a different punch.

“It was a bit wild, with a lot of risk but it is a positive result, not to lose after being 2-0 down. We showed character.”

Bayern travel to Copenhagen in the Champions League next week.

Leipzig, who beat Bayern 3-0 in the German Super Cup last month, struck twice in six minutes with Lois Openda putting them in front in the 20th when he completed a quick break.

Before Bayern had any time to bounce back, they scored again with Castello Lukeba stabbing in from close range after keeper Sven Ulreich misjudged a corner.

###########