Arsenal began their Premier League title defense in style by beating newly promoted Coventry City 3-0 at the Emirates on Friday.
Kai Havertz opened the scoring in just 15 minutes with guiding a Riccardo Calafiori cross into the net. New signing Christos Tzolis then set up Bukayo Saka for the second goal before captain Martin Odegaard added a third early in the second half. Coventry, back in the top flight after 25 years stayed in the game but managed only one real chance late on through Jack Rudoni.
Manager Mikel Arteta praised his side's dominance and clarity while Coventry's Frank Lampard called it a tough but valuable learning experience. Arsenal, last champions in 1935 to successfully defend the title also head into the season as one of few major clubs untouched by managerial upheaval.
In France, Marseille also enjoyed a strong start to their Ligue 1 campaign, with thrashing Strasbourg 4-0. Amine Gouiri scored twice in the second half once from open play and once from the penalty spot after Strasbourg were reduced to ten men. Keyliane Abdallah and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg added further goals in stoppage time by giving new coach Bruno Genesio a perfect opening night.
In Spain, Real Betis edged Real Sociedad 1-0 in Seville also courtesy of a Rodrigo Riquelme volley in the 63rd minute. The result extended Betis's unbeaten home run on Friday nights to 18 matches and lifted them into joint second place in La Liga.
Meanwhile, the German Cup's opening round was overshadowed by crowd trouble. Police intervened during the Waldhof Mannheim vs. Kaiserslautern match after fans threw flares and invaded the pitch, halting play for nearly 30 minutes. Kaiserslautern eventually won 1-0 in extra time. Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt hammered fifth-tier St. Tonis 11-0 while Stuttgart's Dženan Pejcinovic scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Hansa Rostock.
Across Europe, the new football season is off to a dramatic start with big wins, fresh signings making instant impacts and one match marred by disorder in the stands.
