We were back last week, but now we are In fact The Bundesliga returned this weekend, joining the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 which all returned last weekend, and it looks like the German league has picked up right where it left off.
Bayer Leverkusen, who surprised the team last season, are back in action and won in spectacular fashion. Meanwhile, in England, reigning champions Manchester City look more dangerous than ever. In Spain, it didn't matter that Barcelona still lacks a few signings. And in Italy, Christian Pulisic set a new milestone for the U.S. men's national team players.
The season is just getting started, but it's not too early to pick early favorites and flops, so here's a look at what happened in Europe on Saturday.
The leadership: Even without reinforcements, Barcelona is working
There was so much attention on the Barcelona players No They had available for Saturday's 2-1 win over Athletic Club that it was easy to forget who the players were. did have.
Dani Olmo's signing was a last-minute move, as his signing has not yet been finalised in La Liga despite the money freed up in the payroll by Ilkay Gündogan's return to Manchester City. Meanwhile, Nico Williams was on the other team when, at one point, it seemed that he would sign for Barça this summer after his performance in the European Championship with Spain.
So there will be no Olmo, Gündogan or Williams, but Barça could still field Lamine Yamal, perhaps the best young player at the moment, and Robert Lewandowski, who has started the season in great scoring form.
It was Yamal who opened the scoring at the Olympic Stadium, beating international team-mate Williams and curling the ball into the top corner. Lewandowski scored the winner, his third goal in two games, after Oihan Sancet levelled from the penalty spot.
After winning last weekend in Valencia, new coach Hansi Flick has opted for a young team (three 17-year-olds who are back in the starting line-up for Yamal, Pau Cubarsí and Marc Bernal) and the first signs under the German are encouraging. Barça look organised and pressing with energy. Bernal was brilliant at the base of midfield, left-back Alejandro Balde seems to be regaining his pre-injury form, Raphinha was everywhere and Pedri was formidable in the second half as he took control of the game.
Yet Yamal was the player the fans had come to see. Inside and outside the stadium there were already an impressive number of supporters wearing shirts with his name on the back. He did not disappoint them and put in another display that belies his age.
But it was once again veteran Lewandowski, who turned 36 this week, who delivered the three points. The Polish striker had hit the posts twice and once from a brilliant save by Alex Padilla before scoring the winner in the 75th minute.
Things may remain turbulent off the pitch – and Barca will now rush to register Olmo, who watched his new team-mates from the stands, for Tuesday's trip to Rayo Vallecano – but so far things are working out on the pitch under Flick. –Sam Marsden
Saturday's talking points in the leagues
Pulisic reaches US national team milestone with season-opening goal
Christian Pulisic’s opening goal of the 2024-25 Serie A season won’t go down in history as a thing of beauty — it was more of a right-placed, right-time goal — but it did help the American reach a milestone. Pulisic is now the first U.S. men’s national team player to score in 10 seasons across Europe’s top five leagues.
His goal came in the 66th minute, when his team, AC Milan, were already surprisingly behind the newly promoted Parma. Rafael Leão sent a low pass in front of goal and Pulisic, standing on the edge of the six-yard box, only had to deflect it away.
In the end, Pulisic's equaliser was not enough as substitute Matteo Cancellieri restored Parma's lead 11 minutes later, adding to Dennis Man's opener in the 84th second of the match.
AC Milan have had a difficult start to the season, having drawn their first game of the season last weekend. After two games, they are 16th in the Serie A table. Caitlin Murray
Manchester City look more dangerous than ever after dismantling Ipswich
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Manchester City show they are still hungry after victory over Ipswich
Janusz Michallik believes Manchester City are more determined than ever to win a fifth consecutive Premier League title after beating Ipswich Town 4-1.
There was a moment in his weekly Friday press conference when Pep Guardiola felt the need to remind everyone in the room that last season had been “pretty good” for Manchester City.
It was not a repeat of the treble, but a fourth successive Premier League title made for a successful campaign. One of the remarkable aspects of last season's title was that it was achieved without Ilkay Gündogan and with Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland sidelined for long periods through injury. The worry for rivals Arsenal and Liverpool is that all three will be back this season.
Newly promoted Ipswich briefly took the lead at the Etihad Stadium but were then dismantled for the rest of the afternoon. At half-time the score was 3-1 – it could easily have been five to City – and at the final whistle Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna seemed relieved City had only added one more goal as Haaland, who scored twice in four first-half minutes, completed his 10th hat-trick in just over two years at the club.
The question that has been hanging over City all summer has been whether they are stronger than last season. Julian Alvarez has gone and will be missed, but Gundogan is back and De Bruyne and Haaland are in top form. Haaland, in particular, has never looked in better form.
Add to that Savinho, one of Spain's best players last season and fantastic on his home debut against Ipswich, and Guardiola seems to have all the ingredients to go back to trying to win as many trophies as possible. There's every chance this season will be even better than pretty good. — Rob Dawson
Leverkusen claim last-minute win to open Bundesliga season
The Bundesliga opened its season with a Rhineland derby on Friday, when reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen travelled to Borussia Monchengladbach.
While Gladbach are coming off another disappointing season and are in search of a new identity, the same cannot be said for Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen, who know exactly who they are. A week after beating Stuttgart in the German Super Cup in dramatic fashion, Leverkusen showed their dominant side in the opponent's half, controlling the ball and their opponents from the opening whistle.
Granit Xhaka, Leverkusen's ever-present midfield leader, scored the first goal of the season from outside the box, before Florian Wirtz added to the scoreline before the break. Gladbach looked particularly dangerous in attack, with striker Tim Kleindienst coming into the final third of the pitch.
The home side's first goal came in the 59th minute thanks to defender Nico Elvedi. Leverkusen dominated the second half fairly easily, but Gladbach managed to equalise five minutes before the end of normal time, when Kleindienst was rewarded for his efforts. The former Heidenheim striker scored after an assist from Kevin Stöger, Gladbach's other important addition to the attack.
But Leverkusen would not be the Leverkusen of today if they had not found a way to come back at the last moment. Thanks to a controversial VAR decision during added time, in which Ko Itakura was found to have fouled Amine Adli inside the box, Leverkusen were awarded a penalty. And the situation was made even more dramatic when Wirtz's first attempt was deflected by Jonas Omlin, but the German international received the rebound and went on to score.
Leverkusen celebrated another dramatic victory while Gladbach and the home fans were furious after the final whistle. As impressive as Leverkusen's mentality may be, given that they also won several games at the last moment last season, it is highly doubtful that Alonso's players can continue to achieve these kinds of victories. — Constantin Eckner
News of the day
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While Liverpool fans are still eager to see what new manager Arne Slot brings to the team, Jurgen Klopp likes what he sees. Klopp resigned at the end of last season and told ESPN that he has been impressed so far. “It's not important that I like him, you can see he's a very good manager…” You can read Klopp's full remarks here.
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Vinícius Júnior will remain at Real Madrid until the end of the season before considering a move to Saudi Arabia, ESPN reports. His contract includes a €1 billion buyout clause, a fee that deep-pocketed Saudi clubs can afford.
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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said he was “very disappointed” by Manchester United's 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday. He added that individual players could not take the blame as the blame lay with the whole team.
And finally, on Saturday…
Erik ten Hag blamed his players for Manchester United's defeat to Brighton on Saturday, but you could argue the common denominator is, well, him.
Manchester United allowed a goal in the fifth minute of added time to lose to Brighton, and since Ten Hag took over as manager in 2022-23, United have allowed 12 goals in the 90th minute or later.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the team that has won the most in the Premier League during that period is Tottenham and Crystal Palace. For a club that is still considered one of the biggest and best in the world, that is probably not the company Manchester United would like to keep. –Murray
