LONDON, Sept 1: Spanish champions Real Madrid and Barcelona got their Primera Liga campaigns off to the worst possible starts with opening weekend defeats.
Newly promoted Bologna spoiled Ronaldinho’s debut for AC Milan by scoring a surprise 2-1 victory at the San Siro on the first weekend of the Serie A season in Italy.
SPAIN
Champions Real Madrid and Barcelona slipped to defeats in their Primera Liga openers on Sunday, as Atletico Madrid set the early pace at the top of the standings with a 4-0 rout of promoted Malaga.
Deportivo Coruna were 2-1 winners at home to Real thanks to headers from Mista and Alberto Lopo in each half, cancelling out Ruud van Nistelrooy’s equaliser just after the break.
Real, who were without the unsettled Robinho, rarely looked like getting back into the match once they were behind in the second half.
Second division champions Numancia spoiled Pep Guardiola’s league debut as coach with a 1-0 home win, after Mario scored early in the first half.
Atletico built on their midweek qualification for the Champions League group stage, hammering four past promoted Malaga, from John Heitinga, Diego Forlan (2) and Florent Sinama Pongolle.
ITALY
AC Milan suffered a 2-1 opening-day defeat to promoted Bologna as midfielder Francesco Valiani stole the show with a stunning late strike on Ronaldinho’s Serie A debut.
The Brazil forward was in impressive form for his new club, however, after two disappointing seasons at Barcelona.
He provided the cross for Massimo Ambrosini to level after Marco Di Vaio had put the visitors in front and set up a string of chances that went begging.
The other members of Italy’s big four did little better than Milan.
AS Roma, last year’s runners-up, were held 1-1 by 10-man Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico with Slovakia’s Marek Hamsik cancelling out Alberto Aquilani’s opening goal for the hosts.
Juventus’s visit to Fiorentina ended with the same scoreline, as Alberto Gilardino netted a last-gasp equaliser after Pavel Nedved had sidefooted the Turin visitors in front in the first half.
Serie A champions Inter Milan were also held 1-1 at Sampdoria on Saturday.
GERMANY
Bayern Munich won 4-1 at home to Hertha Berlin on Sunday to clinch their first Bundesliga victory under new coach Juergen Klinsmann and move within two points of the leaders.
Victory took Bayern up to seventh place with five points from three matches. Schalke lead with seven points following their 1-0 derby win over Bochum on Saturday, with Hamburg SV and Borussia Dortmund behind them on goal difference.
VfB Stuttgart, champions in 2007, moved up to fifth place on six points thanks to a 2-0 win at home to Hanover 96 on Sunday.
FRANCE
Big guns Olympique Marseille and Olympique Lyon won their matches to stay top of the Ligue 1 standings.
Goals by Karim Ziani and Bakary Kone, as well as a couple of superb saves by Steve Mandanda, helped Marseille beat Sochaux 2-1 at home on Saturday.
The Provence side top the table with 10 points from four matches and lead Lyon on goals scored after a Karim Benzema second-half goal helped the seven-times champions to a 1-0 win at St Etienne on Sunday.
St Etienne, who have not beaten Lyon in all competitions since 1994, got off to the best start but bowed out in the 56th minute when France striker Benzema netted his fourth goal of the season with an quickly taken shot.
Last season’s runners-up Girondins Bordeaux dropped to seventh after losing 2-1 at Lille on Sunday.
Paris St Germain, who escaped relegation in the last round of matches last season, produced a solid performance to snatch a 1-0 win at Caen courtesy of a Guillaume Hoarau goal on Saturday and moved up to sixth.
NETHERLANDS
Reigning champions PSV Eindhoven experienced a perfect opening weekend as they thrashed Utrecht 5-1 while Ajax Amsterdam and Feyenoord suffered stunning defeats.
Ibrahim Afellay and Danny Koevermans both hit two to put PSV on track. Miralem Sulejmani put Ajax ahead at Willem II Tilburg but second-half goals from Frank Demouge and Mehmet Akgun turned the tide.
Andre Bahia’s header after 47 seconds put Feyenoord ahead but after a red card for Jonathan de Guzman, Heracles Almelo fought back and scored three goals.
Newcomers ADO Den Haag surprised with a 5-2 victory at Sparta Rotterdam—Reuters
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