European soccer roundup: Erling Haaland scores 100th Manchester City goal in controversial game against title rival Arsenal
By Sam Joseph, CNN
(CNN) — The 2024-25 season may be in its infancy, but several of Europe’s biggest clubs are beginning to see where they stand.
There were some high-profile games over the weekend, with multiple results having an impact on who will emerge to form the early-season title races.
Here’s a look back at some of the biggest matches from across the continent.
England’s Premier League
Arsenal has established itself over the past two seasons as the primary contender to Manchester City’s dominance in the Premier League, but fell just short in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns.
The two sides met at City’s Etihad Stadium on Sunday with both teams eager to strike first in this year’s title race.
It was City that landed the first blow, with superstar striker Erling Haaland netting his 100th goal for the club inside 10 minutes – the Norwegian only joined the team in the summer of 2022.
Things quickly went south for Pep Guardiola’s team though, with standout midfielder Rodri being substituted 21 minutes in after suffering what could be a serious injury, before Riccardo Calafiori equalized with his first goal for Arsenal. The Gunners then made use of their set-piece ability, as Gabriel Magalhães rose highest to nod home a corner, giving his squad the lead.
It was an action-packed first half, but the biggest talking point was still to come. Just before half-time, Arsenal attacker Leandro Trossard committed a foul before kicking the ball across the pitch, earning a controversial second yellow card.
After being reduced to 10 players, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta adopted a highly defensive shape to try and protect the lead. The visitors held out for almost the entire second half, but City defender John Stones broke the North Londoners’ barrier in the final minute of stoppage time, firing home from inside the box to make it 2-2.
There were some tense moments on the pitch at some points during the game, with City players expressing their frustration after the match with what they believed to be deliberate attempts by Arsenal to disrupt the flow of the game. Defender Kyle Walker described their opponents’ actions as the “dark arts” to BBC Radio 5 Live and said the squad was “frustrated.”
“They slow the game down,” added Stones, speaking to BBC Sport. “They get the keeper on the floor, so they can get some information onto the pitch. We had to control our emotions during those tough times.
“I wouldn’t say they have mastered it, but they have done it for a few years now, so we knew to expect that. You can call it clever or dirty, whichever way you want to put it, but they break up the game which upsets the rhythm.”
Both sides remain undefeated to start the season with City in top spot on 13 points while Arsenal is two points behind in fourth.
Spain’s La Liga
Barcelona continued its perfect start to the season on Sunday with a dominant 5-1 away win against Villarreal, but the three points didn’t come without a price.
Robert Lewandowski scored twice in the first half to give Barça the lead. Ayoze Pérez pulled one back for Villareal shortly after, but a first La Liga goal from Pablo Torre and a brace from Raphinha saw the Blaugrana pick up their sixth win in six league games.
It was not all positive for the Catalans though – starting goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen was stretchered off the field with a complete rupture of his right patellar tendon and set to be sidelined for an extended period of time.
Barça’s fierce rival Real Madrid also eased to victory over the weekend, rolling over Espanyol 4-1.
Los Blancos were forced to dig themselves out of a hole on Saturday when an own goal from ‘keeper Thibaut Courtois gave the Periquitos the lead, but goals from Dani Carvajal, Rodrygo, Vinícius Jr. and summer addition Kylian Mbappé allayed brief fears of an upset.
Carlo Ancelotti’s squad also remains undefeated – Madrid hasn’t lost in La Liga since September 25, 2023, against city rival Atlético – and sits four points behind Barcelona in second place.
Italy’s Serie A
Two of Italy’s biggest clubs clashed in a famous fixture on Sunday, as AC Milan took on city rival Internazionale in the Derby della Madonnina.
The two clubs share the iconic San Siro stadium, but it was the red half of the city that ended the day celebrating as Matteo Gabbia scored a dramatic last-gasp winner to claim a 2-1 victory and secure bragging rights for Milan.
US national team captain Christian Pulisic gave the Rossoneri the lead in the 10th minute, driving through the heart of the Inter defense before poking the ball past goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Federico Dimarco leveled things up with an angled finish later in the first half and it looked as though the game was headed for draw, but Milan defender Gabbia had other ideas.
The center-back found the back of the net with a header in the 89th minute to win the game and spark wild celebrations among the Rossoneri faithful.
The victory helps to relieve some pressure on Milan manager Paulo Fonseca, after guiding his side to only one win in its first four league games prior to the derby.
“I think the win belongs to the players and for our fans,” Fonseca said after the game. “It was a win made by unity. Even in this tough moment, we’ve always stuck together: the players, the staff, the club.
“There are a lot of things to improve, but the players and fans deserved this result today.”
Both sides are now level on eight points, though Inter is ahead on goal difference and sits in sixth place, with Milan one spot behind. Torino is Serie A’s surprise leader after five matches, defeating Hellas Verona on Friday to move into the top spot.
Germany’s Bundesliga
As in many other years, Bayern Munich continues to lead the way in the Bundesliga.
The German powerhouse is in a free-scoring mood at the moment; after a 9-2 victory against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League in midweek, Bayern put five past Werder Bremen in a 5-0 victory on the road.
A brace from summer signing Michael Olise and goals from Jamal Musiala, Harry Kane and Serge Gnabry gave the 33-time league champion a comfortable victory on Saturday.
The players were able to savor the win the following day by celebrating the Bavarian tradition of Oktoberfest, with the players decked out in lederhosen and with steins of beers in hand.
“Really good day at Oktoberfest and to see the German tradition,” Kane posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Such a good team tradition and to go with Kate (Kane’s wife) and the players, staff and everyone in the sunshine was perfect. Great way to end a great week with some of our fans there as well.”
Bayern is the only Bundesliga team to win all four of its matches to open the season, but last year’s champion Bayer Leverkusen is hot on its heels in second place.
Xabi Alonso’s side made a habit last year of winning games in the closing stages and it appears that his players are back to doing what they do best.
A chaotic first half saw visiting Wolfsburg take a 3-2 lead before Piero Hincapié leveled things up shortly after half-time. The two sides seemed like they would have to settle for a draw, but Nigerian striker Victor Boniface found the bottom corner in the third minute of added time as Leverkusen produced yet another miraculous comeback to take the 4-3 win.
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