Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid kept their flawless start to the La Liga campaign intact with a 2-0 victory over Espanyol. It took a moment of brilliance from defender Éder Militão to spark the breakthrough. His powerful long-range strike slipped past goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović’s fingertips. From there, Madrid gradually took control, though Espanyol came close to equalising just before the break when Edu Expósito’s free-kick narrowly evaded Fernando Calero in front of goal. Kylian Mbappe was lively throughout and doubled the advantage, tucking home after a swift Madrid move to seal the result. Vinícius Júnior struck the post from a tight angle late on, but by then the contest was already decided. The win ended Espanyol’s unbeaten start to the season while Madrid, unbeaten in 12 of Alonso’s 13 matches in charge, remain top of the table with 10 victories in their last 11 home games.

 Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has pledged to challenge Marcus Rashford to reach his full potential. The England forward scored twice in Barça’s 2-1 Champions League win at Newcastle on Thursday. This marked his first goals since arriving in Spain. Rashford endured a difficult final season at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim, who questioned his attitude and work ethic. “I totally believe in his quality, but you always have to work hard and improve every day,” Flick said in Saturday’s press conference. “He has to understand what’s required here, and I’ll push him 100 per cent, while also supporting him.” Barcelona face Getafe on Sunday in La Liga and will be without injured winger Lamine Yamal, increasing the likelihood that Rashford starts again. Flick also downplayed Yamal’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or this year but confirmed the club will attend Monday’s ceremony in Paris, unlike Real Madrid last year. PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé remains the frontrunner for the prize.

Kylian Mbappé has revealed that Bayern Munich once tried to lure him to Germany during his early career at AS Monaco. Speaking to Bild, the Real Madrid superstar admitted he held talks with multiple Bundesliga clubs before opting for a different path. “Many clubs approached me. Bayern came to me when I was a bit younger and could leave Monaco,” Mbappé said. “Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig  also made enquiries. And those are just the three clubs I remember. Maybe there were others, but I don’t remember.” The 26-year-old laughed as he reflected on the missed opportunity: “Everyone’s asking now, but it’s a bit too late.” Mbappe joined Paris Saint-Germain on loan from Monaco in 2017 before completing a €180 million permanent move the following year. He went on to become PSG’s all-time leading scorer before finally joining Real Madrid this summer, where he has continued his prolific form.

Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness has defended the club’s summer transfer business, insisting the German champions remain stronger than ever despite missing out on several top targets. Speaking on Sport1-Doppelpass, Hoeness admitted Bayern would have liked to sign Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz but dismissed the idea of paying €150 million. He also downplayed Nick Woltemade’s €90 million move to Newcastle United. “Woltemade is a good footballer and a super nice guy, but he’s not worth €90 million,” Hoeness said. The 72-year-old pointed to the financial power of foreign clubs as Bayern’s biggest obstacle in the market. “It’s a monopoly,” he argued. “You land on Schlossallee [the most expensive square in German Monopoly], then some sheikh comes along and buys it.” Despite missing out on Wirtz, Woltemade, and Nico Williams, Hoeness insisted: “We are the real winners because we have a very strong team.”

Kylian Mbappé second-half penalty gave Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday, extending their unbeaten La Liga run to 21 matches. Xabi Alonso’s side were without Antonio Rüdiger, Jude Bellingham, Endrick and Eduardo Camavinga, but dominated possession from the outset. Despite controlling 79% of the ball in the first half, Madrid struggled to create clear chances, with Vinícius Junior missing their best opportunity before the break. Osasuna grew into the match after half-time, but a clumsy challenge by Juan Cruz on Kylian Mbappé in the 50th minute allowed the French forward to convert from the spot and secure the points. The result keeps Real level with rivals Barcelona, who opened their campaign with victory over Mallorca. A superb slaloming run from Kylian Mbappé was stopped in its tracks after a crunching challenge from Enzo Boyomo, whilst long-range efforts from Dean Huijsen and Éder Militão were palmed to safety by Osasuna keeper, Sergio Herrera. As the half wore on there was little variation in Real’s play, and despite having 79 per cent possession, it was Vinícíus’ wayward effort on 38 that more than summed up the collective frustration at HT. The opening few minutes of the second half saw Los Rojillos taking the game to their opponents, however, a clumsy sliding challenge on 50’ from Juan Cruz on Mbappé afforded the Frenchman the opportunity to put Real ahead from the penalty spot.

Barcelona missed the chance to go level at the top of LaLiga after being held to a 1-1 draw by Rayo Vallecano, with a first-half VAR controversy overshadowing the contest at Vallecas. The home side started brightly, unsettling the champions and forcing goalkeeper Joan García into early action. Barça, however, created the first clear opportunities through Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, though both were denied by Augusto Batalla. Rayo responded with chances of their own, most notably when García produced a superb save to deny Andrei Rațiu after a sweeping move. With Jorge de Frutos and Isi Palazón constantly stretching the visitors’ defence, Barcelona struggled to settle into their rhythm. A moment of brilliance from Yamal broke the deadlock before half-time, the 18-year-old winning and converting a penalty amid furious protests from the stands. The controversy deepened when it was revealed that communication between the VAR and the referee had failed, preventing a review of the decision. Dani Olmo spurned a chance to extend the lead moments later, and Rayo made the most of the reprieve after the interval, with Isi Palazon again going close before García was called into action at the other end to thwart Olmo. As Pedri began to orchestrate Barcelona’s attacking play, the visitors looked more composed, but defensive lapses continued to offer encouragement to the hosts and kept the outcome in doubt. The result leaves Barcelona frustrated, halting their run of nine straight away league wins, while Rayo stretched their difficult home form to one win in nine matches but earned a performance that will feel like a statement.

Bayer Leverkusen have dismissed Erik ten Hag just two Bundesliga games into his reign. This makes him the Dutchman the earliest coach ever sacked in a league season. The 55-year-old, fired by Manchester United last October, was appointed in July as successor to Xabi Alonso, who left for Real Madrid after guiding Leverkusen to an unbeaten domestic double in 2023/24. “This decision was not easy for us. Nobody wanted to take this step,” sporting director Simon Rolfes said in a club statement. “The past few weeks have shown that the steps to build a new and successful team have not been effective.” CEO Fernando Carro added that the move was “painful, but necessary.” Ten Hag’s brief tenure included a 5-1 friendly defeat to Flamengo’s under-20s, a routine 4-0 German Cup win, and just one point from two Bundesliga fixtures. Leverkusen squandered leads in both matches, losing 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim and drawing 3-3 with 10-man Werder Bremen after being 3-1 up. He inherited a squad that had been gutted in the summer, with Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, and Lukas Hradecky all departing. In their place, Leverkusen invested more than €100m in new talent, including record signings Malik Tillman, Jarell Quansah, and Eliesse Ben Seghir. For now, the club has confirmed that assistant coaches will take charge of training while a permanent replacement is sought. Ten Hag. leaves with the unwanted record of being the earliest coach dismissed in Bundesliga history, surpassing the previous mark of five games.