Real Madrid had to come from behind for their first win of the season as a Sergio Ramos penalty clinched a 3-2 win against 10-man Real Betis. Betis had got themselves back into the game after going a goal behind early on but a red card for Emerson allowed Madrid to capitalise in the final stages and claim all three points at the Benito Villamarin Stadium.
In the 14th minute Federico Valverde gave Madrid the lead but Betis were rewarded for their first-half pressure with an equaliser as Sergio Canales. William Carvalho then fired past Thibaut Courtois to give Betis the lead.
Just after half-time, Emerson gifted Real the equaliser, turning the ball into his own net from a Dani Carvajal cross. In the 64th minute, Emerson was sent off for a foul on Luka Jovic.
Betis were unable to hold out for the draw after a penalty was awarded for a Marc Bartra handball in the 82nd minute, with Ramos converting.
“Sometimes the referee goes against us, other times the decisions are in our favour, but I don’t think it’s intentional at all,” said the match-winner. “It was a difficult game but this is what makes football special. We played well in the first 15 minutes then we gifted them the ball and a team like Betis who know how to play well will always create chances and score against you,” he added.
Real Sociedad eased to a 3-0 win away to Elche in La Liga on Saturday, with Mikel Merino pulling the strings in their first victory of the season. Elsewhere, Valencia’s early-season troubles continued as they could only draw 1-1 at home to promoted Huesca.
Bundesliga title hopefuls Borussia Dortmund suffered a blow in a 2-0 defeat at Augsburg, surrendering without a fight as Daniel Caligiuri set up the first goal and scored the second in his 300th league game.
Despite Dortmund having close to 80% possession for much of the first half, it was Augsburg who scored when Felix Uduokhai connected with a Caligiuri free-kick in the 40th minute to nod in with their first chance of the match.
Dortmund lacked the magic from their young stars that helped them cruise past Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 in their Bundesliga opener last week. Caligiuri himself struck the second after the break.
RB Leipzig also dropped points, settling for a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen after taking the lead through Emil Forsberg in the 14th minute. A Kerem Demirbay strike six minutes later earned a point for the hosts.
Schalke continued their freefall with a 3-1 loss at home to Werder Bremen courtesy of Niclas Füllkrug’s hat-trick. Mark Uth scored a stoppage-time goal for the hosts, who had Ozan Kabak sent off for two bookings. He was also caught by cameras spitting at an opponent.
Borussia Mönchengladbach are still waiting for their first win after drawing 1-1 at home to Union Berlin, while Mainz, who had to deal with a one-day players’ strike in midweek, lost 4-1 at home to Stuttgart.
In Italy Inter Milan fought back with two goals in the last five minutes as they began their Serie A campaign with a 4-3 win over Fiorentina.
Runners-up last season and seen as the main challengers to the dominance of Juventus this term, Inter suffered one of their familiar slumps as they fell 3-2 behind to a Fiorentina side inspired by 37-year-old Franck Ribery.
But an 87th minute equaliser from Romelu Lukaku followed by Danilo D’Ambrosio’s header two minutes later gave them the points.
Lazio began their Serie A campaign with a convincing 2-0 win at Cagliari, suggesting they could again be among the title challengers this season. An early goal from Manuel Lazzari set Lazio on the way before Ciro Immobile sealed the points in the second half with a typically clinical finish.
Atalanta, Serie A’s leading scorers last season with 98 goals, began their new campaign in the same carefree, entertaining style as they came from behind to win 4-2 at Torino.
Promoted Benevento celebrated their return to Serie A after a two-season absence by hitting back from two goals down to win 3-2 at Claudio Ranieri’s Sampdoria.