European soccer news: Barca make it work without transfers

We were back last week, but now we’re really back. The Bundesliga returned this weekend — joining the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A and Ligue 1, all of which returned last weekend — and it seems like the German league picked up right where it left off.

Bayer Leverkusen, surprise winners last campaign, are back at it, winning out the gate in dramatic fashion. Meanwhile in England, reigning champions Manchester City look more dangerous than ever. In Spain, it didn’t matter that Barcelona are still missing some transfer targets. And in Italy, Christian Pulisic hit a new milestone for U.S. men’s national team players.

The season has only just begun, but it’s not too soon to pick early favorites and early duds, so here is a look at what went down on Saturday in Europe.

The lead: Even with missing reinforcements, Barcelona are clicking

There was so much focus on the players Barcelona didn’t have available for Saturday’s 2-1 win against Athletic Club that it was easy to forget the players they did have.

New signing Dani Olmo was a late omission from the squad, his registration still not processed with LaLiga despite the money freed up on the wage bill by Ilkay Gündogan’s Manchester City return. Meanwhile, Nico Williams was on the other team when, at one point, it looked like he would join Barça this summer after his exploits at the European Championships with Spain.

So, no Olmo, Gündogan or Williams, but Barça could still field Lamine Yamal, perhaps the best young player in the game at the moment, and Robert Lewandowski, who has started the season in fine goal scoring form.

It was Yamal who opened the scoring at the Olympic Stadium, jinking inside his international teammate Williams before bending the ball into the corner. Lewandowski netted the winner, his third goal in two games, after Oihan Sancet had levelled from the penalty spot.

After opening with a win at Valencia last weekend, new coach Hansi Flick stuck with a young team — three 17-year-olds starting once again in Yamal, Pau Cubarsí and Marc Bernal — and the early signs under the German are encouraging. Barça look organised and press energetically. Bernal was brilliant at the base of the midfield, left-back Alejandro Balde appears to be re-finding his pre-injury form, Raphinha was everywhere and Pedri was formidable in the second half as he took control of the game.

Yamal was the player the fans had come to see, though. Inside and outside the stadium there are already a staggering amount of supporters wearing shirts with his name on the back. He didn’t let them down, delivering another display that belies his age.

But it was once again veteran Lewandowski, who turned 36 this week, whose goal earned the three points. The Polish striker had twice been denied by the woodwork and once by a brilliant Álex Padilla save before finally turning home the winner in the 75th minute.

Things may remain turbulent off the pitch — and Barça will now rush to get Olmo, who watched his new teammates from the stands, registered for Tuesday’s trip to Rayo Vallecano — but things are clicking on the pitch under Flick so far. — Sam Marsden

Saturday talking points around the leagues

Pulisic hits USMNT milestone with season-opening goal

Christian Pulisic’s opening goal of the 2024-25 Serie A campaign won’t go down as a beauty — it was more “right place, right time” — but it did help the American reach a milestone. Pulisic is now the first U.S. men’s national team player to score across 10 seasons in Europe’s top five leagues.

His goal came in the 66th minute when his AC Milan side were already surprisingly behind newly promoted Parma. Rafael Leão fed a low pass in front of goal and Pulisic, standing at the top of the six-yard box, only had to redirect it in.

Ultimately, Pulisic’s equalizer wasn’t enough as substitute Matteo Cancellieri restored Parma’s lead 11 minutes later, adding to Dennis Man’s opening goal from the 84th second of the match.

It’s a rough start to season for AC Milan, who drew in their season opener last weekend. After two matchdays, they sit at 16th on the Serie A table. — Caitlin Murray

Man City look as dangerous as ever in dismantling of Ipswich

There was a moment at his weekly news conference on Friday when Pep Guardiola felt the need to remind everyone in the room that last season had been “pretty good” for Manchester City.

It wasn’t a repeat of the treble, but a record fourth consecutive Premier League title made the campaign a success nonetheless. One of the remarkable things about last season’s title was that it was achieved without Ilkay Gündogan, and with both Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland sidelined for long spells because of injury. The worry for challengers like Arsenal and Liverpool is that all three are back this season.

Newly promoted Ipswich briefly led at the Etihad Stadium only to be dismantled for the rest of the afternoon. By half-time it was 3-1 — it could quite easily have been five for City — and at the final whistle, Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna looked relieved that City had only added one more as Haaland, who scored twice in four minutes in the first half, completed his 10th hat-trick in just over two years at the club.

The question hovering around City all summer has been whether they’re stronger than last season. Julián Álvarez has gone and he’ll be missed, but Gundogan is back and De Bruyne and Haaland are fighting fit. Haaland, in particular, has never looked in better shape.

Throw in Savinho, one of the best players in Spain last season and fantastic on his home debut against Ipswich, and Guardiola seems to have all the ingredients for another crack at all the silverware on offer. There’s a fair chance that this season will be even better than just pretty good. — Rob Dawson

Leverkusen pull off last-minute win to open Bundesliga season

The Bundesliga opened its season with a Rhineland derby on Friday, as reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen traveled to Borussia Monchengladbach.

While Gladbach are coming off another underwhelming season and are in search a new identity, the cannot be said for Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen side who know exactly who they are. One week after beating Stuttgart in the German Super Cup in dramatic fashion, Leverkusen showed their dominant selves on enemy turf, controlling the ball and their opponents from the opening whistle.

Granit Xhaka, Leverkusen’s ever-so-present midfield conductor, scored the first goal of the season from outside the box, before Florian Wirtz added another goal to the scoreboard prior to the halftime break. Gladbach primarily looked dangerous offensively when striker Tim Kleindienst was found in the final third.

But the first goal for the hosts came thanks to defender Nico Elvedi in the 59th minute. While Leverkusen remained fairly dominant during the second half, Gladbach managed to score the equalizer five minutes before the end of the regulation, as Kleindienst was finally rewarded for his efforts. The former Heidenheim striker found the back of the net following an assist from Kevin Stöger, the other major addition to Gladbach’s attack.

But Leverkusen wouldn’t be Leverkusen these days if they somehow didn’t find a way to stage a late comeback. Thanks to a controversial VAR decision during stoppage time where it was determined that Ko Itakura had fouled Amine Adli inside the box, Leverkusen was granted a penalty. And it got even more dramatic because Wirtz’s first attempt was denied by Jonas Omlin, but the German international received the rebound and eventually scored.

Leverkusen celebrated yet another dramatic win while Gladbach and the home crowd were livid after the final whistle. As impressive as Leverkusen’s mentality may be, given that they also won several games at the very last moment last season, it is highly doubtful Alonso’s players can keep pulling off these kind of victories. — Constantin Eckner