A weekend of thrilling football action saw Barcelona complete a dramatic comeback against Levante, while debut goals from Son Heung-min and Thomas Mueller lit up MLS.
A weekend of breathtaking football delivered everything from stunning comebacks to debut goals, with Barcelona’s dramatic 3-2 turnaround against Levante headlining a series of memorable matches across Europe and North America.
La Liga
The weekend’s standout story unfolded at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, where Barcelona produced a comeback for the ages against newly-promoted Levante. What seemed like a potential upset of seismic proportions transformed into a testament to the champions’ championship mentality.
Levante struck first through Ivan Romero on 15 minutes, the forward bamboozling Pau Cubarsi with a superb shoulder-drop before firing past new signing Joan Garcia. The newly-promoted side’s dream start continued when Ferran Torres rattled the crossbar with what should have been a certain equalizer in the 37th minute.
The hosts’ advantage doubled in dramatic fashion deep into first-half stoppage time. After Lamine Yamal lost possession on the edge of the box, Levante broke forward and Alejandro Balde’s attempted block was ruled handball by VAR. The 38-year-old Jose Luis Morales stepped up to convert the penalty with the last kick of the half, sending his side into the break with a shocking 2-0 lead.
Barcelona’s response was swift and devastating. Pedri ignited the comeback just four minutes into the second half with a thunderous 25-yard drive that flew into the top corner. Three minutes later, Torres made amends for his earlier miss, volleying home Raphinha’s corner to level the match at 2-2.
The drama reached its crescendo in the 91st minute when Yamal’s floated cross from the right caused chaos in the Levante box. Under pressure from Torres, Unai Elgezabal could only glance the ball into his own net, completing one of the season’s most remarkable turnarounds.
Atletico Madrid’s struggles continued as they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Elche at the Metropolitano. Alexander Sorloth gave them the lead on eight minutes, racing onto David Hancko’s perfectly-weighted pass before slotting past the advancing goalkeeper. However, Rafa Mir restored parity just seven minutes later with a crisp finish at the end of a lightning counter-attack.
The hosts dominated proceedings but couldn’t find a winner despite late chances for Conor Gallagher and Marcos Llorente. Diego Simeone was even booked deep in stoppage time for his frustrated reaction after a penalty appeal was waved away.
Premier League
Manchester City’s new-look squad suffered a reality check at the Etihad as Tottenham delivered a commanding 2-0 victory that highlighted familiar defensive frailties. Brennan Johnson opened the scoring on 35 minutes when Richarlison squared for the Welsh winger to power past James Trafford.
City’s goalkeeper then had a moment of madness, attempting a pass to Nico Gonzalez inside his own box. Pape Matar Sarr intercepted and, although Trafford recovered to deny Richarlison, Joao Palhinha smashed home the rebound to double Spurs’ advantage.
The result raises serious questions about City’s goalkeeper situation, with Ederson left on the bench amid rumors of a move to Galatasaray before the transfer window closes.
Arsenal demonstrated their title credentials with a devastating 5-0 demolition of Leeds United at the Emirates, though the victory came at a significant cost. Viktor Gyokeres marked his home debut with two clinical goals, while Jurrien Timber scored a brace from set-pieces.
Timber opened the scoring on 34 minutes with a glancing header from Declan Rice’s corner. Bukayo Saka doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, firing home from a narrow angle after Martin Zubimendi won the ball high up the pitch.
Gyokeres, who had fluffed a golden opportunity in the first half, made no mistake three minutes after the restart. The Swedish striker collected Riccardo Calafiori’s pass on the touchline, powered into the box with seven clinical touches, and thrashed a right-footed shot past Lucas Perri.
Timber completed his brace on 56 minutes, poking home from close range after Leeds failed to clear adequately. The scoring was completed in stoppage time when 15-year-old debutant Max Dowman – the second youngest player in Premier League history – won a penalty that Gyokeres converted emphatically.
However, both Martin Odegaard and Saka hobbled off with injuries, with the latter’s apparent hamstring problem particularly concerning given his lengthy absence last season.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Aston Villa failed to score for the second successive game, losing 1-0 at Brentford. Dango Ouattara, the Bees’ club-record £42 million signing, justified his price tag with the only goal on 12 minutes.
Serie A
Kevin De Bruyne marked his Serie A debut in style, scoring as Napoli began their title defense with a comfortable 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Sassuolo. The former Manchester City star’s free-kick from wide on the left evaded everyone in the box before nestling in the far corner on 57 minutes.
Scott McTominay, last season’s Serie A Player of the Year, opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a trademark header from Matteo Politano’s cross. The Scottish midfielder, who has become a fan favorite in Naples, also rattled the crossbar before halftime.
“Of course it’s a nice moment, I just tried to put the ball in the right space,” De Bruyne told DAZN after his debut goal. “It’s a different way of working, a different way of playing and I saw that today. I think I still have to adjust a bit and do better.”
Sassuolo finished with ten men after Ismael Kone received his second yellow card with 11 minutes remaining.
The weekend brought disappointment for AC Milan, who suffered a shocking 2-1 home defeat to Cremonese on Luka Modric’s first start for the club. Federico Baschirotto opened the scoring with a glancing header in the 29th minute before Federico Bonazzoli sealed victory with a stunning scissor kick just after the hour mark.
Strahinja Pavlovic had briefly leveled for Milan with a header in first-half stoppage time, but Massimiliano Allegri’s side failed to build on their equalizer.
Bundesliga
Erik ten Hag’s return to management got off to the worst possible start as his Bayer Leverkusen side lost 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim. The former Manchester United boss watched his team take an early lead through Jarell Quansah’s header from Alex Grimaldo’s free-kick, but defensive errors cost them dearly.
Fisnik Asllani leveled for Hoffenheim on 25 minutes, taking advantage of a defensive mistake from Quansah. Tim Lemperle then completed the turnaround seven minutes into the second half, skidding a low shot into the corner after being given too much time by Leverkusen’s defense.
“Of course we’re disappointed, that’s clear… We’ve still got a lot of work to do. That’s not unexpected,” ten Hag admitted after the match. “I know from my experience the harder you work, the faster it goes, but we need to stay calm.”
Borussia Dortmund endured their own frustrations, throwing away a commanding 3-1 lead to draw 3-3 with St. Pauli in one of the weekend’s most dramatic encounters. Goals from Serhou Guirassy, Waldemar Anton, and Julian Brandt had put BVB in complete control, but Filippo Mane’s red card for a penalty foul with five minutes remaining changed everything.
Daniel Sinani converted the spot-kick before Eric Smith leveled with a stunning long-range effort just three minutes later. “Last year we dropped a lot of points at the end due to red cards. It seems we’ve carried that into the new season,” Brandt lamented.
Eintracht Frankfurt showed they can cope without departed striker Hugo Ekitike, thumping Werder Bremen 4-1 with Jean-Matteo Bahoya scoring twice.
Ligue 1
Marseille put a tumultuous week behind them in emphatic fashion, defeating newly-promoted Paris FC 5-2 at the Stade Velodrome with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the charge. The victory came just days after the club was rocked by what coach Roberto De Zerbi described as an “English pub fight” between teammates Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe.
The 36-year-old Aubameyang, back for a second spell at Marseille after his stint in Saudi Arabia, hit the post early before winning the penalty that Mason Greenwood converted in the 18th minute. The Gabonese striker then doubled the lead six minutes later, turning home Greenwood’s corner with his left foot.
Paris FC, making their first appearance in the French top flight in 46 years, refused to be overawed. Ilan Kebbal, ironically born in Marseille, pulled one back with a brilliant curling effort on 28 minutes before Moses Simon leveled the match early in the second half following a perfectly-timed through ball.
But Aubameyang wasn’t finished. A defensive error from Lohann Doucet allowed substitute Bilal Nadir to set up the veteran striker for his second goal on 73 minutes. The youngster then turned provider again, setting up Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for a thunderous long-range strike eight minutes later.
Despite missing a second penalty of the night, Marseille completed the rout in stoppage time when 18-year-old Robinio Vaz capped a memorable debut with his first professional goal.
“I don’t think we played well but the explanation for that is that it has been a very difficult last week and the squad is made up of human beings, not robots,” De Zerbi reflected. Remarkably, the Italian coach even opened the door for Rabiot’s return, saying: “He made a mistake, but I hope there is a chance we can put things back together. I am not going to close the door on anyone.”
The violent altercation between Rabiot and Rowe had shocked the football world, with club president Pablo Longoria describing it as “extremely violent” and De Zerbi revealing that one player had lost consciousness during the brawl. Rowe has since completed a €19.5 million move to Bologna, while Rabiot remains on the transfer list with just over a week left in the window.
Lyon continued their impressive start to the season with a commanding 3-0 victory over Metz at the Groupama Stadium. Malick Fofana opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a right-footed shot from the center of the box, before Corentin Tolisso doubled the advantage just five minutes later. Adam Karabec, the new Czech signing from Sparta Prague, sealed the victory in the 83rd minute with his first goal for the club.
The win follows Lyon’s successful appeal against relegation after financial irregularities, with new president Michele Kang watching from the stands as her investment began to pay dividends.
Nice secured their first points of the season with a 3-1 victory over Auxerre, helped significantly by goalkeeper Donovan Leon’s first-half dismissal for bringing down Isak Jansson. Jeremie Boga opened the scoring before Lassine Sinayoko equalized, only for Clement Akpa’s own goal and Terem Moffi’s strike to seal the win.
European champions Paris Saint-Germain had earlier maintained their perfect start with a 1-0 victory over Angers on Friday, courtesy of Fabian Ruiz’s solitary goal.
MLS
Major League Soccer welcomed two legendary debuts as Son Heung-min and Thomas Mueller both found the net for their new clubs.
Son’s first MLS goal came in spectacular fashion, curling home a 25-yard free-kick in LAFC’s 1-1 draw with FC Dallas. The South Korean, who joined for a reported MLS-record $26 million, took the set-piece awarded for a foul on Denis Bouanga and lofted it over the wall with enough pace to beat Michael Collodi.
“I’m glad I scored the first goal for the MLS and also for LAFC,” Son said afterward. “But for me, the most important thing is to get three points. I’m really, really disappointed for that.”
Mueller’s contribution proved even more dramatic, as the German icon scored a penalty in the 14th minute of stoppage time to give Vancouver Whitecaps a thrilling 3-2 victory over St. Louis City. The 35-year-old, wearing the captain’s armband on his first start, showed his class in the biggest moment.
“That I was able to score the final goal in front of our crowd here — it was an amazing feeling, amazing,” Mueller said.
Inter Miami played without the injured Lionel Messi, drawing 1-1 at DC United with Baltasar Rodriguez scoring his first MLS goal.
Transfer Drama
In a high-profile hijack this week, Arsenal successfully signed Eberechi Eze after the Crystal Palace star had seemingly agreed to join Tottenham. Spurs believed they had secured the England international for £68 million, but Arsenal’s late intervention – prompted by Kai Havertz’s injury concerns – changed everything.
The emotional factor proved decisive once again: Eze is a lifelong Arsenal supporter who spent time in their academy as a youngster. When Arsenal matched Tottenham’s offer, the choice became straightforward for the 27-year-old.
Sunday’s Big Matches
In Serie A, Lazio, Juventus and Atalanta are in action on Sunday while Inter Milan will play their league match against Torino on Monday (12.15 AM IST on Tuesday).
In La Liga, Real Madrid, Athletic Club, Villarreal and Valencia are among the clubs in action while Crystal Palace, Everton and Manchester United play in the Premier League on Sunday and Liverpool play against Newcastle United tomorrow night.