Arsenal, Marseille, Betis shine on Europe’s opening night
The Premier League curtain went up in London, and Arsenal walked straight through it.
The defending champions brushed aside newly promoted Coventry City 3-0, a scoreline that flattered the visitors more than the hosts. Christos Tzolis, making his league debut for Arsenal, wasted no time in announcing himself, helping to create two of the goals as Mikel Arteta’s side tore into Frank Lampard’s team from the first whistle.
Kai Havertz opened the scoring, Bukayo Saka added another, and captain Martin Odegaard completed the job. Arsenal could have had more. They missed chances, overplayed in the box and still never looked like being punished.
Coventry’s return to the top flight after 25 years was supposed to be a celebration. Instead, it turned into a brutal reminder of the gap between the Championship and the Premier League elite. Lampard’s side, so dominant in the second tier last season, were repeatedly ripped apart by Arsenal’s movement and tempo. The champions, who ended a 22-year title drought last season, played like a team fully intent on keeping the trophy right where it is.
On this evidence, the chase is already on. And Arsenal are out in front.
Gouiri shines as Marseille crush Strasbourg
Across the Channel, Marseille opened their Ligue 1 campaign with a statement of their own.
Amine Gouiri, the subject of transfer talk linking him with Everton in recent days, shut out the noise and took control of the night. He struck twice in the second half of a 4-0 demolition of Strasbourg, driving Bruno Génésio’s new era at the club off to the ideal start.
A minute after the interval, Gouiri slipped into space and finished from close range. The pressure then broke Strasbourg completely when Samir El Mourabet saw red for a bad tackle, leaving the visitors down to 10 men. Gouiri stepped up again, this time from the penalty spot midway through the half, and buried his second.
With Strasbourg already beaten, Marseille turned the evening into a procession. Keyliane Abdallah made it three in the 89th minute, before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg capped the rout in stoppage time. For a coach under immediate scrutiny at a demanding club, Génésio could not have scripted a cleaner opening chapter.
Riquelme volley gives Betis a sharp start in Spain
In Seville, the margins were far finer but the outcome just as satisfying for Real Betis.
Facing a disciplined Real Sociedad side, Betis found the one clear moment that mattered. After 63 minutes, Rodrigo Riquelme met a cross with a crisp volley, the kind of finish that separates tight games, and sealed a 1-0 win to launch their La Liga campaign.
The contest itself was balanced, both teams feeling their way into a stuttering Spanish league schedule in which some clubs have already played twice while others are only now kicking off. Betis, though, extended an eye-catching streak: they are now 18 home games unbeaten in Friday night fixtures.
The three points put them joint second in the early table, one of four teams on three points, tucked in behind Alaves on four. It is far too early to read the standings with any seriousness, but not too early for Betis to bank the confidence that comes with an opening win.
German Cup: flares, stoppages and an 11-goal hammering
The German Cup delivered both the ugly and the unbelievable.
In Mannheim, chaos broke out as Waldhof Mannheim hosted Kaiserslautern. With the match locked at 0-0 and heading into extra time, tension in the stands spilled over. Fans hurled flares and other objects, and some Mannheim supporters stormed onto the pitch.
The referee stopped the game. Nearly half an hour passed while police in riot gear and mounted units forced supporters back into the stands and restored a semblance of order. Only then could the players return to finish the tie.
The drama did not end with the trouble. Deep in the final minute of extra time, Ibrahim Kanate struck for second-division Kaiserslautern, snatching a 1-0 win and a place in the second round. A cagey cup tie, overshadowed by crowd trouble, decided at the death.
Elsewhere, the scoreboard told a very different story. Eintracht Frankfurt dismantled fifth-tier St. Tönis 11-0 away from home, a scoreline that scarcely looked real. Ten of those goals came before half time, with Jonathan Burkardt helping himself to a hat trick as Frankfurt turned the contest into a training exercise.
Karlsruhe edged past Munster 2-1, while Dženan Pejčinović produced his own headline performance, scoring a hat trick in VfB Stuttgart’s 4-0 win away at Hansa Rostock.
From London to Marseille, Seville to Mannheim, Europe’s opening weekend offered a familiar mix: champions flexing, contenders stirring, and cup nights reminding everyone that control is never guaranteed. The season has only just begun, and already the pace looks unforgiving.
