World football wrap: Erling Haaland continues goalscoring onslaught; Kylian Mbappe awaits first league goal

The football season has returned after its usual hiatus, and as expected the usual suspects have made merry, barring a few surprises.

Goals galore: Newly promoted Ipswich Town was at the receiving end of Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah.  | Photo Credit: REUTERS

While Erling Haaland is back to scoring hat-tricks, Kylian Mbappe awaits his first league goal in the Royal White. Here’s what else unfolded in the beautiful game across the globe.

Premier League

Manchester City began its Premier League defence with a confident 2-0 win against Chelsea. However, in its following match against newly-promoted Ipswich Town, Pep Guardiola’s men delivered an onslaught, securing a dominant 4-1 victory. Haaland was at his ruthless best, scoring a hat-trick, with captain Kevin de Bruyne also finding the net. If the scoreline wasn’t enough, the return of Ilkay Gundogan (after a one-year stint with Barcelona) amplified the atmosphere at the Etihad, as several fans held banners reading, ‘Welcome home, Gundo’.

For Arsenal, the priority this season is to avoid creating another ‘if only’ scenario after coming close to challenging City for the title but stumbling at the final hurdles in recent seasons. Mikel Arteta and his men have at least started on the right foot, winning 2-0 against Wolves in their opening fixture and following it up with a hard-fought victory against Aston Villa by the same margin. Arteta has stressed the importance of multiple players contributing to the scoreline, rather than relying on a single player, and the Spaniard will be pleased to see four different scorers in two matches — Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, and Thomas Partey.

A new-look Mohamed Salah. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Backed by INEOS and a successful transfer window, Erik Ten Hag will have limited scope for excuses, especially after being reprieved from a potential sacking following the FA Cup win against Man City. Before the Red Devils’ season-opener against Fulham, the Dutch manager admitted that his team wasn’t ready for the new season, and this was evident as his men struggled to secure a 1-0 win against Fulham, courtesy of a late goal by new arrival Joshua Zirkzee. However, United failed to maintain momentum, falling to its recent bogey team — Brighton and Hove Albion, the latter notching up a 2-1 win.

Mohamed Salah surprised many with his new look ahead of the season. But on the pitch, things were the same, as the Egyptian was at his lethal best. In Liverpool’s season opener against Ipswich, Salah set up Diogo Jota for the opener before getting on the scoresheet himself. With that goal, the Egyptian entered the record books as the all-time top scorer on Premier League opening days with nine goals. Salah found the net again in the Reds’ next match against Brentford, while Jota set up Luis Diaz to guide Liverpool to a 2-0 win.

Chelsea has been under the spotlight for its active summer transfer window, signing 11 players, and receiving considerable criticism for its inflated squad size of 42 first-team players. However, manager Enzo Maresca has brushed off claims of an inflated squad, highlighting the importance of every player. The Blues did not have the easiest start, facing City in its campaign opener. A 2-0 loss against City didn’t raise eyebrows, but the Blues came back in prime fashion, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 6-2 in the following game week. Noni Madueke starred with an excellent hat-trick, while Cole Palmer exuded his usual class with three assists and a goal. Nicolas Jackson also got on the scoresheet, while Joao Felix marked his permanent move to London with an excellent finish for Chelsea’s sixth.

Right: Chelsea’s Joao Felix (14) set things rolling with a goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers. | Photo Credit: AFP

Tottenham Hotspur delivered a dominant display after a frustrating 1-1 draw against Leicester in its opener, drubbing Everton 4-0, with Son Heung-Min grabbing a brace.

Newcastle United, now backed by cash-rich Saudi Arabian owners, started with a 1-0 win against the promoted Southampton but was held to a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth.

After the first two rounds of fixtures, the top four teams have six points each. However, courtesy of goal difference, City sits at the top, followed by Brighton, Arsenal, and Liverpool in second, third, and fourth, respectively. Tottenham and Newcastle are fifth and sixth, while Man United languishes in the bottom half of the table in 11th.

Among promoted teams, only Leicester City has a point on the board, while Ipswich and Southampton are yet to open their accounts.

La Liga

Kylian Mbappe. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Real Madrid had the perfect chance to stamp early authority in its title defence, facing lowly Mallorca in its league opener. The news of Mbappe making his league debut naturally dominated discussions. However, it was an anti-climactic start for Los Blancos as not only did Mbappe fail to find the net, but Mallorca also held it to a hard-fought 1-1 draw. Adding to the frustrations, Ferland Mendy saw a straight red for a late challenge on Mallorca’s goalscorer Vedat Muriqi, which had shades of frustration all over it. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s men bounced back strongly, beating Real Valladolid 3-0 the following week. It was a match where Madrid’s young blood shined brightly. While Federico Valverde and Brahim Diaz found the net and kept the Santiago Bernabeu crowd happy, the loudest cheer was reserved for Endrick, who had a dream debut, scoring Madrid’s third goal deep in second-half stoppage time.

Robert Lewandowski. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Barcelona has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, mainly due to its financial constraints. After the transfer debacle involving Gundogan, which saw the German return to the Etihad after just one year at Camp Nou, the failure to register Dani Olmo (at the time of writing) has added to the fans’ frustrations, with the management’s inefficiency looming large. The only saving grace for Barcelona in the new season so far has been the results. It started the campaign with a 2-1 win against Valencia, courtesy of a brace from Robert Lewandowski after Hugo Duro gave Valencia the lead just before halftime in the 44th minute. Lewandowski scored the equaliser in first-half stoppage time and netted the winner four minutes into the second half. Lewandowski carried his goal-scoring momentum into Barcelona’s next match against Athletic Bilbao, scoring again in a 2-1 win, with Euro 2024 star Lamine Yamal scoring the other.

Atletico Madrid flexed its muscles in the transfer market to challenge Real Madrid and Barcelona for the league title. With new signings like Alexander Sorloth, Julian Alvarez, and Robin Le Normand, Diego Simeone hopes his team can go the distance as it did in the 2020-21 season. In its season opener, Sorloth began his Atletico career on a high, scoring on his league debut, but his team drew 2-2 against Villarreal. Apart from the frustration of dropping points, Simeone would rue that Koke gifted a goal to the opponent by putting the ball in his own net. 

On target: Endrick had a dream debut, scoring Real Madrid’s third goal against Real Valladolid.  | Photo Credit: REUTERS

After a shaky start, Atletico needed a strong response in front of home fans, but it wasn’t going to be an easy task, with Girona as its opponent, a team that upended the usual La Liga narrative last season by challenging for the title at one point, eventually finishing third and grabbing a Champions League spot. Atletico’s response, however, was immaculate. Backed by raucous home support at the Wanda Metropolitano, Simeone’s men cruised to a 3-0 win. After an own goal in the season-opener, Koke redeemed himself with a late goal in second-half stoppage time, which was more of a cherry on top after Antoine Griezmann and Marcos Llorente had already given the Colchoneros a 2-0 lead.

It has been a mixed start for the Basque clubs — Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad. Bilbao is yet to win this season, drawing 1-1 with Getafe in its opening match and losing 1-2 to Barcelona in the next. Real Sociedad started its season with a 1-2 loss against Rayo Vallecano but grabbed all three points in its next match, with a 1-0 victory against promoted Espanyol.

After two rounds of fixtures, Celta Vigo is the surprise leader atop the table with six points after winning its two matches against Alaves and Valencia. Barcelona, also on six points, is second due to an inferior goal difference. Madrid clubs Atletico and Real occupy third and fourth with four points each.

Bundesliga

During the era of Sir Alex Ferguson, a certain romanticism was associated with Manchester United, especially when it came to late goals. This led to the coinage of a new term – ‘Fergie Time.’ It is safe to say Xabi Alonso has built a similar brand during his reign at Bayer Leverkusen. Last season, the club won the Bundesliga in impressive fashion, remaining undefeated throughout the season and ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year reign as champion of Germany. This season, Leverkusen has started in a similar vein, Defending champion Bayer Leverkusen grabbed a late winner in its season opener against Borussia Mönchengladbach. After Granit Xhaka and Florian Wirtz put Leverkusen 2-0 ahead, it seemed like a routine day at the office for Xabi Alonso’s men. However, goals from Nico Elvedi and Tim Kleindienst brought the game to 2-2, with the latter’s equaliser coming in the 85th minute. In the ninth minute of stoppage time, VAR awarded Leverkusen a penalty but Wirtz failed to convert. Even by Leverkusen’s lofty standards, a draw seemed inevitable. However, the dogged nature that polished Leverkusen a formidable force last season hasn’t diminished over the summer break. But in the 11th minute of stoppage time, Wirtz redeemed himself by scoring the winner, securing three points for the defending champion.

Mixed bag: Bayer Leverkusen’s Floran Wirtz had a dramatic stoppage-time against Borussia Mönchengladbach, missing a penalty but redeeming himself with the winner two minutes later.  | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Bayern Munich raised eyebrows after bringing in Vincent Kompany as head coach. To this day, questions remain about his capability to meet the club’s expectations, where domestic dominance is a minimum requirement each season. Wolfsburg almost gave enough fight to cast further doubts about his appointment after holding Bayern to a 2-2 draw until the 81st minute. However, Serge Gnabry saved the day by scoring in the 82nd minute, guiding Bayern to a win in the five-goal thriller.

As with every season, Borussia Dortmund and its fans are hopeful, but with Leverkusen’s dominance and Bayern’s desperation to regain the top spot, Dortmund faces a monumental challenge. 

Under the leadership of new head coach Nuri Şahin, a former player who spent six years at the club, Dortmund took a small but significant step towards its objective with a 2-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt, with Jamie Bynoe-Gittens scoring both goals.

RB Leipzig also secured a win in its season opener, beating VfL Bochum 1-0, thanks to Antonio Nusa’s second-half strike. However, it wasn’t a perfect outing, as centre-back Willi Orban received a straight red card in the 85th minute.

After the first round of fixtures, SC Freiburg, Heidenheim, Dortmund, and Leverkusen occupy the top four spots, respectively, with three points each. Bayern, also with three points, sits fifth.

Serie A

Inter Milan didn’t have the strongest start to its title defence, drawing 2-2 against Genoa in its league opener. Marcus Thuram, who grabbed a brace, believed he had done enough to ensure a comeback win for the Nerazzurri after Genoa’s Alessandro Vogliacco opened the scoring in the 20th minute. However, Genoa, known as ‘La Superba’ in Italy, kept the flight alive, with Junior Messias equalising in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time. 

Hakan Calhanoglu of Inter Milan. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Inter responded strongly in its next match, posting a comfortable 2-0 win against Lecce, with goals by Matteo Darmian and Hakan Calhanoglu (above, left).

AC Milan has had a rough start, with the Rossoneri yet to win in the current Serie A campaign. After a frustrating 2-2 draw against Torino in its opening match, a 2-1 loss to Parma in the following matchweek was a significant upset. It’s safe to say that things haven’t gone according to plan for new head coach Paulo Fonseca.

Juventus has also entered a new phase under new coach Thiago Motta, who enjoyed a comfortable start to his managerial career at the club with a 3-0 win against Como, coached by legendary Spanish footballer Francesc Fàbregas.

Antonio Conte’s return to Italy has not been pleasant. Taking charge as Napoli’s head coach, he saw his team thrashed 3-0 by Verona in its season opener. However, the team bounced back with a 3-0 win against Bologna, keeping a clean sheet in the process.

Kenan Yıldız during Juventus’ match against Como.  | Photo Credit: AFP

Atalanta made headlines last season after ending Leverkusen’s 51-match unbeaten streak with a 3-0 win in the Europa League final. It carried that momentum into the new season, beating Lecce 4-0, but lost its way in the following game against Torino, succumbing to a 2-1 defeat.

During his playing days, Roma’s head coach Daniele De Rossi was admired for his dedication to the game and his no-nonsense attitude. 

Often feared for his temper, one can imagine that the atmosphere inside the Roma dressing room has not been pleasant after the club’s tepid start to the campaign. He has yet to see his team win this season. 

Roma had a fairly easy start, opening against Cagliari and then facing Empoli, but a 0-0 draw with the former and a 1-2 loss to the latter have caused early headaches for the Giallorossi.

After two rounds of fixtures, all the top six teams have four points, but goal difference keeps Inter, Torino, Genoa, and Parma in the first four slots. No team has won both its matches in the new Serie A season.

Ligue 1

Right moves: PSG players acknowledge fans after a win against Le Havre. | Photo Credit: AFP

The script hasn’t changed much in French top-flight football, with Paris Saint-Germain winning 4-1 and 6-0 against Le Havre and Montpellier in its first two matches. 

Some might argue that Ligue 1 would lose global interest after Mbappe’s departure to Real Madrid. However, PSG’s Qatari management has publicly claimed that the club is still capable of challenging for major trophies even without Mbappe.

Former champion Lyon has made another disappointing start, losing its first two matches against Rennes and Monaco. Marseille started the season well with a 5-1 win against Brest but was later held to a 2-2 draw by Reims.

After two rounds, PSG, Lille, Monaco, and Lens (all with six points) occupy the top four spots.

Elsewhere in Europe

Turkey: The Süper Lig features one of football’s all-time managerial greats this season, with José Mourinho taking charge of Fenerbahçe. So far, it has been smooth sailing for Mourinho, with his team sitting top after three matches with seven points.

Portugal: In the Primeira Liga, Sporting and Porto have made strong starts, winning their first three matches. F. C. Famalicão, which finished eighth last season, also started strongly and is third with nine points. Benfica, with two wins and one loss in their first three matches, sits sixth in the standings.

Rest of the world

Miami running smoothly without Messi: Major League Soccer has been a topic of interest since Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami. Despite the Argentinian being out with an injury, Miami seems to be coping well, currently topping the Eastern Conference standings with 56 points. Los Angeles Galaxy tops the Western Conference table with 52 points.

Rough sailing for Ronaldo and Al Nassr: Things are not going well for Al Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo. After losing 1-4 to rival Al Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup final, Ronaldo and Co. had a mild start to the campaign, drawing 1-1 with Al Raed in their Saudi Pro League opener. While Ronaldo found the net in the 34th minute, it was not enough for a win after Mohamed Fouzair scored the equaliser with a 49th-minute penalty. After failing to win the league for two seasons, Ronaldo will hope fortunes turn in his favour and that his record of winning the league in every country he has played in remains intact.

From the bizarre corner

The Copa Peru tournament witnessed a strange incident during a match between Atletico Awajun and Cantorcillo FC. Awajun striker Sebastian Munoz was caught urinating on the pitch while waiting to take a corner kick as the Cantorcillo goalkeeper was receiving treatment for an injury. Despite his attempts to discreetly hide from the cameras and face a spectator-free area, Cantorcillo players noticed and alerted the referee. Munoz was subsequently shown a red card. It remains unclear if further disciplinary action will be taken against Munoz for his unsportsmanlike behavior.