Mbappé Shines as Real Madrid Win, Juventus and Cologne Also Victorious
Real Madrid kicked off their La Liga campaign with a confident 3-0 victory over newly promoted Real Oviedo. The match, played on Sunday, saw Kylian Mbappé deliver a stellar performance, netting twice, while Vinícius Júnior capped off the scoring with a late goal.
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 37th minute. Aurélien Tchouaméni's interception in midfield, stealing the ball from Leander Dendoncker, led to a quick pass to Arda Guler. Guler then cleverly played in Mbappé, who, on the edge of the area, skillfully turned and fired a precise low shot into the net.
Real Oviedo almost found an equalizer when Kwasi Sibo's powerful strike rebounded off the post. However, it was Real Madrid who extended their lead in the 83rd minute, again regaining possession in the midfield battle. This time, substitute Vinícius teed up Mbappé, who calmly slotted the ball home.
Vinícius then added his name to the scoresheet in added time, finding himself unmarked inside the box and expertly placing his shot into the far corner.
Juventus began their Serie A season with a 2-0 victory against Parma on Sunday. New signing Jonathan David marked his debut with a goal, while Dusan Vlahovic secured the win with a late close-range finish.
The first half saw limited clear-cut chances, although Juve's Francisco Conceição came close, forcing Parma's goalkeeper, Zion Suzuki, into a diving save.
Parma started the second half strongly, with Mateo Pellegrino breaking through, only to be denied by a crucial last-ditch tackle from Gleison Bremer. This defensive intervention seemed to galvanize Juventus.
Kenan Yildiz and Conceição caused problems down the flanks, creating several opportunities for the home side. Conceição even struck the crossbar with a deflected shot. In the 59th minute, Yildiz surged down the wing and delivered an accurate cross to David, who beat his marker and finished with the outside of his boot. Suzuki then denied Yildiz himself with a sharp save.
Andrea Cambiaso was dismissed in the 83rd minute after an incident with Parma's Mathias Fjortoft Lovik. Juventus quickly capitalized, countering swiftly, with Yildiz setting up Vlahovic for a simple tap-in.
Atalanta, now under the guidance of Ivan Juric, drew 1-1 with promoted Pisa. An own goal from Isak Hien gave Pisa the lead in the first half, but Gianluca Scamacca equalized shortly after the interval.
Hamburg, returning to the Bundesliga after a seven-year absence, secured a 0-0 draw away at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The promoted side spent much of the game defending, with goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes making several important saves, including a fine stop from Gladbach captain Rocco Reitz.
"We knew we faced a strong team with a congested midfield. We focused on a tight central defense and hitting them on the counter," said Heuer Fernandes. "After a difficult pre-season, you are unsure of your standing, but the team displayed its fighting capacity, and that's the way we want to progress."
Hamburg, nicknamed "der Dino," were a founding member of the Bundesliga in 1963 and played every season until their relegation in 2018.
Cologne celebrated their return as second-division champions with a 1-0 win at Mainz. Mainz's Paul Nebel was sent off in the 60th minute for a foul on Jakub Kaminski. Following the red card, Cologne, who had been mainly focused on defending, upped their attacking game, and Marius Bülter headed in the decisive goal in the closing stages.
