The second matchweek of Europe’s top domestic soccer leagues delivered another round of dramatic results on Monday, with three of the continent’s biggest clubs retaining their perfect start to the new season and early title contenders sending a clear statement of their title credentials.
In England’s Premier League, defending champions Arsenal claimed a hard-fought 1-0 away victory over Aston Villa, clinging to their 100% record to open the campaign. The decisive goal came in the 59th minute from Bukayo Saka, who converted the only clear-cut chance of the night to secure all three points for the Gunners.
The result marks a tough opening stretch for Aston Villa, which has struggled to find form following a series of high-profile player exits over the transfer window. Unai Emery’s side failed to register a single shot on target for the second consecutive match, leaving them rooted at the bottom of the table with zero points from their first two outings. For Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, the win carried extra personal significance: it marked his 250th Premier League match in charge of the club, and left Arsenal one of only four Premier League clubs to claim maximum points from their opening two fixtures.
Over in Spain’s La Liga, Barcelona turned in a dominant attacking display to beat Rayo Vallecano 5-2 at home, extending their unbelievable run to 21 consecutive home victories and climbing to the top of the league table. The match got off to a surprising start when Rayo, which entered the game still searching for its first win of the season, took an early lead in the 12th minute: Sergio Camello finished powerfully from an Álvaro García cutback from the left flank to put the visitors ahead.
Barcelona responded rapidly, however, and had turned the game around to lead 2-1 before the 25-minute mark. Raphinha netted the equalizer with a clinical finish in the 18th minute, and 16-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal put Barca ahead just 90 seconds later with a trademark solo goal: cutting inside from the right wing before unleashing a blistering left-footed strike into the top corner of the net.
Hansi Flick’s side extended their lead shortly after halftime, when Florian Lejeune turned an Anthony Gordon cutback into his own net for an own goal. Though Camello pulled one back for Rayo with a strong headed finish, Raphinha restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage shortly after, and Yamal wrapped up the scoring with a low driven shot from just outside the penalty area in the 89th minute. The brace from both Yamal and Raphinha, paired with two assists from English winger Gordon, gave Barca the convincing win that pushed them above Real Madrid to claim first place on goal difference, while Rayo Vallecano sits third from bottom after the result. In another La Liga fixture on Monday, Osasuna claimed a 1-0 win over Getafe to retain their own unbeaten start to the season.
In Italy’s Serie A, Roma made an early statement of their title ambitions with a rampant 4-0 away win over Lecce, retaining their 100% start to the campaign. Donyell Malen continued his scorching early form, taking his goal tally to five goals in just two matches after notching a brace to put Roma 2-0 up by the midway point of the first half. Matias Soulé added a third before halftime, and substitute Rodrigo Mora put the finishing touches on the result with a fourth goal 20 minutes into the second half. The back-to-back 4-0 wins lifted Roma straight to the top of the Serie A table after two matchweeks.
The final fixture of Monday’s Serie A action delivered a late dramatic winner, as Atalanta snatched a 1-0 victory over Bologna with a stoppage-time goal from Lazar Samardžić. The match was a largely unremarkable affair with neither side dominating, but Samardžić’s long-range effort slipped past the Bologna goalkeeper in added time to secure all three points for Atalanta. The result was a harsh one for Bologna, which has now dropped two opening matches and remains pointless on the season, while Atalanta climbs into the top five and joins the group of five other clubs still holding a perfect record.