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Saturday European Rewind: Stoke shocks Arsenal, Dortmund cruises past Wolfsburg, and more

 

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In the late fixture of the day in England, Stoke City used a goal from newly acquired Jese to defeat Arsenal 1-0. The PSG loanee finished off Saido Berahino’s assist after 47 minutes to the bottom right corner.

It was his first goal for the club since signing. Arsenal created six shots on goal, but Jack Butland kept all six out in the home clean sheet for the Potters. Stoke earned their first three points of the season, while Arsenal fall for the first time this season.

Elsewhere in Europe, Schalke shut out RB Leipzig in the late match of the day, while Bayern Munich edged Bayer Leverkusen in Friday’s opener. Manchester United cruised in EPL play, while Monaco remained unbeaten in France. Juventus and Napoli both earned victories in their Serie A openers, while Atletico Madrid earned a point in La Liga play.

Here’s a rundown of all Friday and Saturday’s European action:

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester United cruised for the second straight weekend, defeating Swansea City 4-0 at the Liberty Stadium. Eric Bailly’s close-range finish gave Jose Mourinho’s side a 1-0 halftime lead. United used three goals in a four-minute span late in the second half to pull away. Romelu Lukaku scored his third goal of the season after 80 minutes, before Paul Pogba slotted home two minutes later. Anthony Martial capped the score in the 84th-minute, scoring on a United fast break. Swansea remains winless, and suffered their first loss of the season.

Liverpool earned their first three points of the EPL season, defeating Crystal Palace 1-0 at Anfield. A 73rd-minute winner from Sadio Mane was all Jurgen Klopp’s men needed to earn the victory. Mane slotted home a right-footed effort to the bottom left corner for his second goal of the season. Wayne Hennessey made 12 saves in the Palace goal, while his teammates only created one shot on goal. Palace drop their second in a row, while Liverpool prepare for a Champions League second leg this week.

Here are all of Saturday’s EPL results:

Swansea City 0 – Manchester United 4

AFC Bournemouth 0 – Watford 2

Burnley 0 – West Bromwich Albion 1

Leicester City 2 – Brighton & Hove Albion 0

Liverpool 1 – Crystal Palace 0

Southampton 3 – West Ham United 2

Stoke City 1 – Arsenal 0

SPANISH LA LIGA

Valencia kicked off their La Liga season on Friday, edging Las Palmas 1-0 at Mestalla.  A 22nd-minute goal from Simone Zaza was all the hosts needed to start their league campaign on the right foot. The Italian forward rifled home a left-footed effort from long-range to the bottom left corner. Valencia keeper Neto made four saves in the clean sheet.

10-men Atletico Madrid fought back for a 2-0 halftime deficit, to earn a point in a 2-2 draw at Girona. Christian Stuani gave the hosts a 2-0 lead after scoring a brace over a three-minute span. Stuani headed in the first goal after 22 minutes, before heading in his second three minutes later. Antoine Griezmann was sent off after 67 minutes after picking up a second yellow card. Angel Correa pulled Atletico to within one after scoring from long-range, before Jose Gimenez headed home the visitors equalizer. Jan Oblak made four saves for the visitors.

Here are all of Friday and Saturday’s La Liga results:

Leganes 1 – Alaves 0

Valencia 1 – Las Palmas 0

Celta Vigo 2 – Real Sociedad 3

Girona 2 – Atletico Madrid 2

Sevilla 1 – Espanyol 1

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA

Bayern Munich used a trio of goals on Friday to defeat Bayer Leverkusen, 3-1, at the Allianz Arena. Nikas Sule’s ninth-minute header kicked off the scoring for the defending Bundesliga champions. Corentin Tolisso added to the hosts lead, heading home Arturo Vidal’s cross. Robert Lewandowski extended the lead to 3-0 after scoring a 53rd-minute penalty kick. The Polish striker drew the foul inside the box from Charles Aranguiz. Admir Mehmedi scored a 65th-minute consolation for the visitors, finishing off Julian Brandt’s assist. Bayern outshot Leverkusen eight-to-four in shots on goal.

Borussia Dortmund kicked off their Bundesliga season with a comfortable 3-0 victory over VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday. Peter Bosz saw three different goalscorers get on the board at the Volkswagen Arena. Christian Pulisic opened the scoring after 22 minutes, rifling home a right-footed effort off the left post and in. Marc Bartra added to the lead five minutes later, curling home a right-footed effort to the top right corner. Pulisic played provider on Dortmund’s final goal of the afternoon, finding Pierre-Emerick Aubameygang on the hour mark. Wolfsburg failed to get anything going, recording zero shots on goal offensively.

Schalke used a goal in each half to defeat RB Leipzig in a 2-0 home victory on Saturday. Nabil Bentaleb’s 43rd-minute penalty kick gave Domenico Tedesco’s side a 1-0 lead going into halftime. Yehven Konoplyanka added the insurance goal after 73 minutes, slotting past Peter Gulasci on a Schalke fast break. 18-year-old American Weston McKennie made his first league appearance of the year as a 79th-minute substitute. RB Leipzig recorded three shots on goal, but ultimately were second best on Saturday.

Here are all of Friday and Saturday’s Bundesliga results:

Bayern Munich 3 – Bayer Leverkusen 1

1899 Hoffenheim 1 – Werder Bremen 0

Hertha Berlin 2 – Stuttgart 0

Hamburg SV 1 – FC Augsburg 0

FSV Mainz 0 – Hannover 1

VfL Wolfsburg 0 – Borussia Dortmund 3

Schalke 04 2 – RB Leipzig 0

ITALIAN SERIE A

Juventus kicked off their title defense breezing past Cagliari, 3-0 in Saturday’s Serie A opener. Gonzalo Higuain’s 66th-minute finish capped off an easy day for the hosts, who were in total control from kickoff. Paulo Dybala gave Juventus a 2-0 lead going into halftime, finishing Miralem Pjanic’s assist to the top right corner. Diego Farias saw his 39th-minute penalty kick saved by Gianluigi Buffon which was the visitors best chance offensively. Mario Mandzukic opened the scoring after 12 minutes, scoring from inside the box with a right-footed effort. Cagliari only had two shots on goal in the loss.

Napoli kicked off their domestic season with a 3-1 road win on Saturday at newly-promoted Hellas Verona. A 32nd-minute own goal by Samuel Souprayen gave Napoli a 1-0 lead.  Arkadiusz Milik extended the visitors lead seven minutes later finished Lorenzo Insigne’s assist on a Napoli fast break. Faouzi Ghoulam’s left-footed finish after the hour mark made it 3-0 to Maurizio Sarri’s side. Giampaolo Pazzini’s 83rd-minute penalty kick gave Verona a late consolation in the 3-1 loss. Napoli outshot Verona 12-to-four in shots on goal.

Juventus 3 – Cagliari 0

Hellas Verona 1 – Napoli 3

FRENCH LIGUE 1

Monaco continued their dominant league form, squeaking by Metz 1-0 on Friday. Despite being held for over 70 minutes, Monaco used a 78th-minute winner from Radamel Falcao to earn all three points on the road. Falcao finished from close range, scoring his fifth league goal of the season. Monaco keeper Danijel Subasic made five saves in the clean sheet. Metz remain winless on the season, while Monaco stay undefeated.

Saturday’s must-watch game came from the Parc OL as Lyon and Bordeaux played out a 3-3 draw. A 91st-minute equalizer from Malcom snatched a late point for the visitors who fought back from a two-goal deficit. Nabil Fekir’s long-range strike gave Lyon a 1-0 lead after 10 minutes, before Kenny Tete added to the lead in the 22nd-minute. Lyon were reduced to 10-men after 36 minutes as Sergi Darder saw a second yellow card. Malcom’s first goal came from a left-footed blast from outside the box. Bertrand Traore re-extended Lyon’s two goal lead from a 74th-minute free kick before Bordeaux fought back again. Lukas Lerager pulled the visitors to within one after 88 minutes, before Malcom’s second goal of the afternoon snatched the point for Jocelyn Gourvennec’s side. Both sides remain unbeaten in league play.

Here are all of Friday and Saturday’s Ligue 1 results:

Metz 0 – Monaco 1

Lyon 3 – Bordeaux 3

Montpellier 1 – Strasbourg 1

Nice 2 – Guingamp 0

Rennes 2 – Dijon 2

Saint-Etienne 3 – Angers 0

Troyes 0 – Nantes 1

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