German Bundesliga Review

Bayern Munich lost on the opening day of the Bundesliga season for the first time since 2001 as they went down 1-0 at home to Borussia Monchengladbach.

Gladbach, who beat Bayern by the same scoreline in the first game 10 years ago, repeated history to spoil Jupp Heynckes' third debut in charge of the Bavarians.

It proved to be an even worse bow for Bayern's new number one Manuel Neuer as his glaring error allowed Igor de Camargo to score the only goal of the game in the 62nd minute.

In Sunday's other game, defensive failings cost Bayer Leverkusen as they opened their Bundesliga season with a 2-0 defeat to Mainz.

Goalkeeper Fabian Giefer's poor clearance allowed Sami Allagui to open the scoring before half-time and Omer Toprak's late own goal ensured there would be no way back.

Thomas Tuchel's side suffered a shock Europa League elimination on penalties against Gaz Metan in the third qualifying round, and they will be pleased to have bounced back to form at the new Coface Arena.

On Saturday, Stuttgart baptised their newly-renovated Mercedes-Benz Arena in style with a 3-0 win over Schalke.

Cacau, Martin Harnik and Shinji Okazaki were on target for Bruno Labbadia's side as they made light work of the Royal Blues, whose defence failed to impress.

Stuttgart could even have won more comfortably but missed numerous chances to punish their opponents' defensive shortcomings.

Patrick Helmes struck twice as Wolfsburg downed 10-man Cologne 3-0 to make a flying start to the new season having narrowly avoided relegation last term.

Helmes put the Wolves ahead in the 17th minute and then doubled his account late on as Felix Magath's side added two more goals in the final five minutes, Marcel Schafer the other man on the scoresheet after netting direct from a corner.

A second-half brace from Markus Rosenberg helped Werder Bremen to an opening-day 2-0 win over Kaiserslautern.

There had been little in the game until the Swede struck his first on the hour mark, with a second nine minutes from time wrapping things up.

Kaiserslautern could have few complaints about the result either, creating just two chances in a largely drab performance at Westerstadion.

Hannover enjoyed a winning start after downing Hoffenheim 2-1 at the Niedersachsen Stadion.

All three goals came in the opening 30 minutes with Jan Schlaudraff putting Hannover ahead, Sejad Salihovic equalising from the spot for Hoffenheim, and then Mohammed Abdellaoue netting the winner with another penalty.

Hannover finished fourth last term to qualify for the Europa League and they looked keen to prove that was not a one-season wonder as they started on a winning note.

Sascha Molders' second-half double ensured Augsburg were not beaten in their first ever Bundesliga match as they drew 2-2 with Freiburg.

Molders twice dragged the newcomers back after falling behind to goals from Papis Demba Cisse and Cedric Makiadi after the interval.

Cisse picked up where he left off from last season, when he top-scored with 22 goals, to fire Freiburg ahead on 48 minutes.

Molders' first equalizer arrived on 57 minutes, and while the celebrations were cut short when Makiadi sent the visitors back ahead almost immediately, he struck again nine minutes from the end to snatch a point.

Hertha Berlin's return to the Bundesliga ended in disappointment as Tomas Pekhart's 80th-minute goal earned Nurnberg a 1-0 win.

The visitors were good value for the victory, creating most of the chances in front of a crowd of 61,118 at the Olympic Stadium.

On Friday night, Borussia Dortmund made it clear that they will not give up their Bundesliga title easily with an emphatic 3-1 win over Hamburg in the opening top-flight fixture of the season.

The Westphalians dominated the game almost at will and could have won more comfortably against a woeful Hamburg side, who nevertheless managed a late consolation.

A Kevin Grosskreutz brace and a goal from the livewire Mario Gotze had already put the result beyond doubt, however, and gave the defending champions a perfect start to the season in front of a full house of over 80,000 at the Westfalenstadion.

Dutch League Review

Miralem Sulejmani scored twice as Ajax began the defence of their Eredivisie crown with an impressive 4-1 win at De Graafschap.

Frank De Boer's side had to come from behind after Ted Van De Pavert's early opener but Sulejmani scored either side of Derk Boerrigter's goal and Theo Janssen rounded off the win with a fourth.

Elsewhere, Jozy Altidore scored on his Eredivisie debut as as AZ Alkmaar opened their campaign with an impressive 3-1 win at home to PSV Eindhoven.

The United States striker, signed from Villarreal in the summer, came off the bench to seal the victory in the 80th minute.

Goals from Maarten Martens and Nick Viergever had put AZ two up, but Dries Mertens pulled one back on the stroke of half-time. Altidore came on in the 65th minute to restore the hosts' two-goal cushion and even though they had Niklas Moisander sent off late on PSV never looked like coming back into it.

Marc Janko's first-half penalty was the difference between the sides as FC Twente got their Eredivisie campaign off to a winning start with a 1-0 victory at NAC Breda.

The Austria striker slotted home in the 29th minute at the Rat Verlegh Stadion after Peter Wisgerhof had been fouled by Jordy Buijs.

The win continued a fine start to new Twente coach Co Adriaanse's reign after his side edged Ajax 2-1 last weekend in the Johan Cruyff Shield - with Janko again on target from the spot.

ADO Den Haag and Vitesse Arnhem played out a drab opening-weekend encounter in the Eredivisie, with neither side able to break the deadlock.

There were chances at the Kyocera Stadion, but whether it was early-season rustiness or a sign of things to come, there was little quality on offer.

On Saturday, Roda JC came from behind to claim a home win over FC Groningen in their opening match of the season.

The Kerkrade club trailed to a Leandro Bacuna penalty, as Groningen tried to banish thoughts of their shoot-out defeat to ADO Den Haag in a Europa League play-off at the end of last season. Ruud Vormer was sent off for a professional foul in giving away the penalty.

However, Roda roared back thanks to Mark-Jan Fledderus' free-kick 14 minutes from time and Sanharib Malki earned them all three points when he slotted home from Mads Junker's pass two minutes from time.

NEC Nijmegen scored twice in the final seven minutes to grab a 2-2 draw away to 10-man Heerenveen.

Heerenveen had looked on course for a comfortable opening-day win when Luciano Narsingh's 70th-minute strike, after Oussama Assaidi's opener, fired them 2-0 ahead.

But the hosts threw away victory in a breathless end to the match.

Bram Nuytinck pulled a goal back on 83 minutes and, after Viktor Elm was shown a straight red card for a horror tackle, Stef Nijland stole a share of the points in the closing stages.

Newly-promoted RKC Waalwijk staged an even later recovery, striking twice in the final five minutes to seal a 2-2 draw at home to Heracles Almelo.

Heracles led through Everton in the 32nd minute and the three points looked all-but certain when Glynor Plet's deflected strike found the net 10 minutes from time.

However, RKC were given a chance to get back into the game when Antoine van der Linden tripped Ricky ten Voorde in the box, conceding a penalty which Robert Braber converted.

Van der Linden was sent off for the foul, and the 10 men of Heracles could not hold on as Ten Voorde levelled at the death.

VVV Venlo and FC Utrecht played out a goalless draw in the day's late kick-off. The home side finished the game with 10 men as substitute Rogier Molhoek was sent off with 10 minutes to go.

On Friday night, Guyon Fernandez marked his Feyenoord debut with a goal to pave the way for a 2-0 victory over his former club Excelsior.

Fernandez made the move across Rotterdam in the summer and his impact was immediate as he fired in the game's opener after 56 minutes.

A Leen van Steensel own goal followed on 71 minutes to seal a derby win for Ronald Koeman in his first competitive game as Feyenoord boss.

French League Review

Francis Gillot's reign as Bordeaux coach got off to a losing start on Sunday night as Les Girondins went down 2-1 at home to St Etienne in their Ligue 1 opener.

The 2009 champions were on the back foot early on and were 2-0 down at half-time thanks to Michael Ciani's own goal and a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang strike.

Jussie halved the deficit from the penalty spot 11 minutes after the interval but Bordeaux could not force an equaliser.

Elsewhere, newly-promoted Dijon were given a harsh lesson in what lies in store as Rennes romped to a 5-1 win at the Stade Gaston Gerard.

Victor Montano and Julian Feret put the visitors 2-0 up after the latter had missed an earlier penalty.

Brice Jovial halved the deficit before half-time, but Abdoulrazak Boukari soon restored the two-goal cushion and, after Dijon's Gregory Thil also failed from the spot, Kader Mangane and Alexander Tettey completed the rout.

On Saturday, Paris St Germain's recent spending spree failed to produce an immediate return as the Ligue 1 title favourites suffered a humiliating 1-0 defeat at home to Lorient.

A takeover of the club by Qatar Sports Investments has brought a huge injection of cash and signalled the arrival of eight new players so far in the transfer window.

Yet Antoine Kombouare's side got off to the worst possible start as Julien Quercia's 28th-minute strike condemned them to an embarrassing loss.

Lyon claimed top spot on the opening day with a solid 3-1 win at Nice.

The visitors fell behind to an Anthony Mounier goal on six minutes, but quickly levelled through Lisandro Lopez (10). Bafetimbi Gomis (33) got Lyon in front before the break and Maxime Gonalons secured the win 16 minutes from time.

Lyon are joined at the head of the standings by Montpellier, who also kicked off with a 3-1 win. Their performance against Auxerre was far from convincing, though, with the visitors enjoying the bulk of the chances.

Younes Belhanda opener for the hosts on 36 minutes was cancelled out by Alain Traore on the stroke of the interval, but goals inside the final 15 minutes by Geoffrey Dernis and Olivier Giroud gave Montpellier their first win over Auxerre since returning to the top flight in 2009.

Champions Lille were held to a 1-1 draw by Nancy.

Rudi Garcia's team, who finished eight points clear at the top of the table last season, looked like making a winning start when Mathieu Debuchy netted after 46 minutes.

Franck Beria's 61st-minute own goal rescued a point for the home side, who had Pascal Berenguer dismissed in the closing stages for a reckless challenge.

Loic Remy salvaged a point for Marseille in a 2-2 draw with Sochaux at Stade Velodrome.

Didier Deschamps' team led through Lucho Gonzalez's 38th-minute effort - but goals from Marvin Martin (59) and Vincent Nogueira (71) threatened an upset until Remy struck 15 minutes from time.

League newcomers Evian let slip a two-goal lead as they were forced to settle for a 2-2 away to Brest.

Evian got off to a dream start when skipper Oliver Sorlin and Ali M'Madi netted inside the opening 20 minutes. But Brest hit back with goals from Bruno Grougi and Benoit Lesoimier before half-time.

Having stayed in Ligue 1 on the final day of last season, Caen gave a suggestion they could do better this time around as they opened up with a 1-0 win over Valenciennes.

Gregory Promen scored the only goal of the game on 34 minutes, and it was an early contender for goal of the season, the midfielder taking aim from 30 yards and finding the top corner.

Ajaccio's first game back in Ligue 1 after five seasons in the second tier ended in a 2-0 reverse to Toulouse, Antoine Devaux (45) and Paulo Machado (74) with the goals either side of the interval.

Manchester City 2 - 3 Manchester United

Nani's injury-time goal settled a wonderful Community Shield as Manchester United roared back from two goals down.

The Portugal winger had already netted with a jaw-dropping leveller in what turned out to be the highest-scoring of these encounters since 1992.

He then capitalized on Vincent Kompany's blunder to win a game that seemed City's for the taking after Joleon Lescott and Edin Dzeko had taken advantage of David de Gea's hesitancy.

But Sir Alex Ferguson's introduction of three younger members of his squad at the break triggered a comeback for which United are so famed, Chris Smalling setting the ball rolling six minutes after the restart, triggering a richly-deserved victory charge for the Premier League champions.

It had been some 24 hours for Danny Welbeck.

Selected for England ahead of Jermain Defoe on the eve of the game, he started at Wembley whilst Dimitar Berbatov was on the bench and Michael Owen remained in his suit. The 20-year-old was part of a scintillating performance from the Red Devils that lacked only an opening goal.

Between them, Welbeck, Wayne Rooney, Nani and new signing Ashley Young cut City's midfield apart. Had United's final ball been better, they surely would have got their noses in front.

As it was, Lescott got in the way of efforts from Young, Smalling and Welbeck and Rooney curled a free-kick narrowly wide.

City's tackling grew increasingly desperate and after Mario Balotelli and Dzeko had got themselves embroiled with Nemanja Vidic and Anderson respectively, Micah Richards was perhaps fortunate to stay on the field for a studs-first lunge on Young that sent the former Aston Villa winger flying.

Referee Phil Dowd felt the need to issue some strict instructions to Blues skipper Kompany after another shuddering lunge from Nigel de Jong, this time on Welbeck.

How quickly circumstances can change.

Ferguson has already admitted to taking a gamble on De Gea, who - at just 20 - is being asked to fill the boots of a man with twice his age in Edwin van der Sar.

It had been accepted by Old Trafford's coaching staff that some work was required in the weights room for De Gea to have the best chance of dealing with the more physical nature of English football.

His lack of bulk may be the reason why he opted against coming for Silva's teasing free-kick seven minutes before the break. Neither Vidic nor Rio Ferdinand got themselves in position to make a challenge and Lescott calmly flicked it into the corner.

It got even worse for United, and De Gea, in stoppage time.

Dzeko was given far too much room in midfield to decide what to do with James Milner's square pass and after advancing 10 yards, lashed a fine shot into the United net.

It was one of those that, on first viewing, appeared to be De Gea's fault. Replays showed there had been some movement as the ball flashed in, which made life harder for the Spain Under-21 international.

However, there was a degree of culpability and clearly De Gea is on a steep learning curve, not just in his goalkeeping but also United's DNA.

Ferguson's response was to replace three of his most senior players - Vidic, Ferdinand and Michael Carrick - at the break and introduce a trio of youngsters in Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Tom Cleverley.

Within six minutes of the restart, Smalling had dragged the champions back into it, touching home Young's free-kick after Dzeko had completely failed to track his run.

Then came the equalizer, with Rooney, Nani and Cleverley opening City up with a devastating series of short passes before Nani beat Joe Hart with a delicate chip.

De Gea showed his raw talent by beating away a ferocious goalbound effort from Adam Johnson, then palming Richards' powerful header over.

The City duo were two of 14 Englishmen involved. The oldest member of United's second-half side was Young, at 26, during a spell following the departure of Patrice Evra and Dimitar Berbatov's introduction.

It was a taste of the future, with Cleverley in particular electrifying until he hooked an excellent chance over from eight yards.

The pity was it took a blunder to win it, Kompany failing to read Rooney's clearing punt, allowing Nani to rob him and charge forward, rounding Hart before tapping home.

Barcelona Tops Club America 2-0

David Villa scored on a header midway through the first half and Barcelona lived up to its reputation as the top club team in the world, beating Mexico's Club America 2-0 Saturday in the final game of the Spanish team's American tour.

The win at Cowboys Stadium was the first for Barcelona in three tries in the World Football Challenge, an exhibition tournament featuring top club teams from European leagues, Major League Soccer and Mexico's first division.

Barcelona lost 2-1 last week to Manchester United and 4-1 Wednesday to Chivas of Guadalajara.

"We played similar (against Chivas), but because we lost, we were terrible," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. "Now, because we won, we were awesome. Today we played with much confidence, much better."

The club's first official match of the season is next Sunday against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Spanish Supercopa.

Barcelona was without several top players, including forward Lionel Messi, who was on vacation following the recent Copa America tournament. The absence of those stars was felt in the team's first two matches, including the shocking loss to Chivas in Miami.

"The guys suffered a lot in the humidity," Guardiola said, referring to the loss in Miami. "With the air conditioning here, it was much, much better."

Villa scored in the 24th minute. Adriano Correia sped past America defender Oscar Rojas and his short cross found Villa unmarked just outside the 6-yard box for an easy header.

It was a long night for Rojas, who repeatedly left Villa free for scoring chances. Rojas eventually was replaced at left back by Edgar Castillo, a New Mexico native who will dress for the U.S. national team Wednesday in a friendly against Mexico.

Seydou Keita added a goal in the 90th minute, finishing off an individual effort from Gerard Deulofeu, a reserve forward. Deulofeu maintained possession along the end line, muscling the ball past a defender and the goalkeeper for a short centering pass to Keita, who was just a few feet in front of the goal.

America was shut out in all three of its games. Christian Benitez had two dangerous chances in the final minutes, including a left footer in the 86th minute that went just wide. Castillo also made a late run into Barcelona's box, but his crossing attempt was smothered by a defender.

The game opened up after Villa's first-half goal, with both teams trading scoring opportunities over the next few minutes. Consecutive one-touch passes from Vicente Sanchez to Benitez to Juan Carlos Medina forced Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes into a diving save.

Minutes later, Andres Iniesta slipped a pass through to Villa, who found himself one-on-one with Club America keeper Armando Navarrete. The keeper came off his line and smothered the play before Villa could get off a shot.

Barcelona, however, dominated first-half play, outshooting America 10-1. "It was a good first half," Guardiola said.

The one-goal advantage allowed Guardiola to sit Xavi Hernandez for the entire second half. Iniesta and Villa eventually ended up on the sidelines as well.

Roma Confirm Lamela Deal

Roma have announced the official details of the Erik Lamela transfer, which is worth €17.06m (£14.8m).

River Plate president Daniel Passarella confirmed Lamela's exit last month, with the highly-rated teenager thought to have moved for around €20m (£17.7m).

The Giallorossi have now announced the signing, with the Serie A outfit due to pay €12m in three instalments by July 15, 2012, with another €5.06m in add-ons if various targets and number of games are met.

The 19-year-old midfielder, who reportedly attracted interest from Liverpool, Tottenham and Barcelona, has penned a five-year deal with the Serie A side.

Chelsea On Red Alert After Danish Starlet Rejects Man City

Chelsea could reignite their interest in Ajax starlet Christian Eriksen having seen Manchester Citys attempts to sigh the attacking-midfielder fail.

City were unsuccessful their £20million move for the Danish teenager Eriksen after he feared he would not play regularly at Eastlands

And while the 19-year-old midfielder may not play week in week out at Stamford Bridge, Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas is confident that he can convince the Denmark international to make the move to London.

Villas-Boas is keen to strengthen his midfield options this summer, particularly with Michael Essien set for a lengthy spell

The situation has become a big concern for Villas-Boas, with Tottenham playing hard-ball over the sale of Luka Modric and PSG winning the race for Javier Pastore.

The Portuguese tactician, who is renowned for his man-management skills, believes a persuasive rhetoric with Eriksen about improving his game significantly at Stamford Bridge, could be enough to seal a deal.

Eriksen, who even visited Manchester ahead of a proposed move to City, was man-of-the match when England beat Denmark in Copenhagen last February.

But the midfielder’s agent Martin Schoots said: "Christian was very flattered by the interest from City, but at the moment it is not the step he wants to make.

"The feeling has to be right. Its not about the money."

Porto Join AC Milan In Race For Santos' Ganso

Brazil international Ganso could be on his way out of Santos in the near future as Portuguese champions Porto have shown an interest in signing the attacking midfielder, IG reports.

Porto are looking to add a creative midfielder to their squad as they aim to make an impact in the Champions League this term after winning the Europa League last season, and they allegedly see Ganso as the perfect signing.

The 21-year-old midfielder has a contract with Santos until February 2015, but club president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro recently declared that the club will not stop Ganso from making a switch to Europe.

"He has already told me he wants to stay at Santos to play in the Club World Cup at the end of the year. But if he wants to leave Santos, we will not have any objections to that. We have to respect the player's wish. He has his dreams, his ambitions," Ribeiro said to Lancenet.

It's unlikely that Ganso will opt to leave Santos this summer as he's eager to take part in the Club World Cup in December, but the playmaker could very well decide to move to Europe in the January transfer window.

Ganso has also been linked with clubs such as Anzhi Makhachkala and AC Milan, but the presence of compatriot Hulk and former team-mates such as Danilo and Alex Sandro could push him towards the Portuguese champions.

Inter Close In On Genoa's Juraj Kucka

Negotiations between Inter and Genoa for the transfer of Juraj Kucka to San Siro are progressing well, according to Sky Sport 24.

The 24-year-old has only been at Genoa since January, but has caught the eye with a number of impressive midfield performances for the Luigi Ferraris outfit, leading to the interest of the Milanese outfit.

It is reported that a deal for the Slovakia international is close, in which Gian Piero Gasperini's side will obtain half of the player's ownership rights, but he will remain in Liguria for another season.

In addition, Genoa is also hoping to thrash a deal out for Inter's Goran Pandev, in what would be a separate transfer.

Inter lost 2-1 in their Supercoppa clash with AC Milan on Saturday, with reinforcements now on the agenda ahead of the new Serie A campaign.

Arsenal Set To Win Race For Southampton Starlet

Arsenal look set to win the race to sign highly-rated Southampton teenager Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The winger who will be 18 on Monday week has emerged as one of the most exciting prospects in the country and has been linked with Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.

But it appears Arsenal have stolen a march on their rivals and are set to tie up a £12m deal for the attacking-midfielder in the coming week.

The initial down payment will be around £7 million and the fee will rise according to appearances.

And Oxlade-Chamberlain will not be loaned back to Southampton for the season as Wenger wants to include him in his first team plans, most particularly in the Carling Cup.

The next decision for Wenger concerns a centre-back, with the North London club linked with Phil Jagielka of Everton, Christopher Samba of Blackburn and Gary Cahill of Bolton.

The stumbling block concerning Jagielka is the £18m asking price for a player who will be 29 this month.

Wenger is thought to favour a move for Samba, with Tottenham also interested in the Congo international.

Dream Move For Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku is in no doubt about joining Chelsea after the Premier League club agreed a deal to sign the Anderlecht striker.

The Blues' long pursuit of the 18-year-old finally bore fruit on Saturday night when they announced they were poised to complete a deal for him, subject to the player passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.

Lukaku, who is reportedly valued at between £15million and £20m, made no secret of the fact he was a Chelsea fan while he was being linked with Stamford Bridge.

And despite last week claiming he had not ruled out a move elsewhere, the teenager made it clear this on Sunday afternoon there was nowhere else he would rather be.

While taking time out to respond to questions on Twitter, Lukaku was asked what his favourite thing about Chelsea was.

He replied: "the fans and the players. It’s just my dream team."

Lukaku, who is already a full Belgium international, faces a real fight to break into the Blues first team any time soon.

He warned earlier this week he would not want to be sent out on loan if he moved to Stamford Bridge, which suggests he would be prepared to fight for his place.

The forward believes he can only benefit from training and playing alongside the likes of Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba, to whom Lukaku has long been compared.

He wrote on Sunday: "I think I am entering a team full of experienced guys and winners. And i'm very happy about that."

Lukaku is also aware he will arrive at a team under pressure to deliver silverware this season after finishing empty-handed last term.

Describing the Premier League as the "best league in the world", he added: "We have to improve ourselves year after year."

Sunderland Consider Move For Man City Outcast

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has admitted he could make a move for Man City outcast Craig Bellamy as his tenth signing of the summer, according to the Metro.

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has confirmed that Craig Bellamy, as well as Emmanuel Adebayor, will not feature in his plans for the new season,

The Black Cats could make the Welshman their latest signing having already snapped up players such as Manchester United's Wes Brown and John O'Shea in recent months.

The departure of Steed Malbranque means that Bruce has a bit more cash to play with and he has indicated that he may move for Bellamy.

'I haven't got a wide left player, not a natural one, although we've got people who can play there, so we'll see,' he said.

'We're all looking at Manchester City because they've got some great players who can't even get in the squad.

'Craig Bellamy is a possibility. He can play wide left and up front so we'll see.'

The striker was previously linked to both Cardiff City and Celtic, although reports suggest he was not keen on a return to the Scottish side after being sent there on loan on for the second half of the 2004-05 season.

He spent all of the last campaign at Cardiff after falling out of favour at Man City.

Last week, Bruce hinted that there could be some more departures from the Stadium of Light in the near future.