LONDON — Arsenal got their Premier League campaign underway with a 3-0 win at promoted Fulham thanks to goals from Alexandre Lacazette, new signing Gabriel and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the opening game of the season on Saturday.
Newcomers Gabriel and Willian enjoyed fine debuts for the Gunners, who made light work of their short trip across London to Craven Cottage and dominated against a toothless Fulham.
Raúl Ruidíaz and Joevin Jones each had two goals and two assists and the defending MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders scored four times in the opening 20 minutes en route to a 7-1 victory against the visiting San Jose Earthquakes on Thursday night.
Jordan Morris had a goal and three assists, and Kelvin Leerdam and João Paulo also scored for the Sounders (5-2-3, 18 points), who moved into first place in the Western Conference. Seattle extended its unbeaten streak against San Jose to 11 consecutive regular-season matches (6-0-5) dating to 2015.
PARIS — French champion Paris Saint-Germain, missing several players who tested positive for Covid-19, lost 1-0 at RC Lens in its first Ligue 1 game of the season on Thursday after a terrible error by goalkeeper Marcin Bulka.
Pole Bulka, 20, tried to play the ball out along the floor to a teammate but Cameroonian forward Ignatius Gango got there first to fire into the top corner and give Lens a surprise lead in the 57th minute.
After beginning the season 0-2-3, the Los Angeles Galaxy have turned it on and scorched everyone in their path with four consecutive victories, the latest victim being LAFC.
Two weeks after the Galaxy blanked LAFC 2-0 for the first cleansheet effort for either side in El Tráfico history, goalkeeper David Bingham registered another shutout on Sunday, his second of the season.
After a scoreless first half, Galaxy forward Cristian Pavón chipped an easy one over LAFC keeper Pablo Sisniega, who got stuck over-extending himself in the 51st minute.
Norway beat Northern Ireland 5-1 in their Nations League match on Monday with Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland leading the charge with two goals and an assist in Belfast.
Mohamed Elyounoussi gave Norway the lead in the second minute but, after Paddy McNair equalised, Haaland got the goal of the game with an emphatic half-volley from the edge of the box that had keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell rooted to the spot.
Germany were still waiting for their first-ever Nations League win after they gave a tired performance and were held to a 1-1 draw by Switzerland on Sunday.
Ilkay Gundogan gave Joachim Loew's side the perfect start with a clinical goal in the 14th minute but Silvan Widmer earned their smaller neighbors a deserved draw just before the hour. In the end, Germany may have been grateful for the result in the League A Group 4 game as the much livelier hosts, unbeaten in their last 17 competitive matches at home, created the better chances.
STOCKHOLM — A slice of luck and a moment of individual brilliance from Kylian Mbappé gave France a gritty 1-0 win away to Sweden in their Nations League A Group 3 clash on Saturday.
Promoted to the competition's top tier following their group victory last year, the Swedes frustrated the world champions for the opening 40 minutes until Mbappé proved to be the difference.
Once again, the NWSL is back. And once again, it returned with a fantastic 2-1 match full of drama and excitement. In the end, Mal Pugh assisted on a 92nd-minute winner to help win her Sky Blue FC debut against the Washington Spirit on Saturday at Segra Field.
REYKJAVIK — England's Raheem Sterling converted a 90th minute penalty to snatch a 1-0 win away to Iceland in their opening Nations League match on Saturday after the home side themselves missed a spot kick in stoppage time that would have salvaged a draw.
Sterling got the decisive goal from the spot, after a disappointingly drab game, when Sverrir Ingi Ingason was harshly ruled to have handled the England striker's shot.
Jordan Morris scored twice 61 seconds apart early in the second half as the host Seattle Sounders pulled away to defeat Los Angeles Football Club 3-1 Sunday night.
Raúl Ruidíaz scored at the 11-minute mark before being replaced because of a heel contusion at halftime for the defending MLS Cup champion Sounders (4-1-2, 14 points), who moved into second place in the Western Conference, two points behind Sporting Kansas City.