Bayern start with a bang
Kane and Son link up to make history
FIFA.com rounds up the best of a jam-packed weekend of football
Eye-catching stats
Best of the weekend
Olimpico alert!
Cincinnati midfielder Haris Medunjanin provided us with a rare kind of goal in Major League Soccer action. The Bosnian scored directly from a corner kick, otherwise known as an "Olimpico", named after Argentinian forward Cesareo Onzari, who scored in the manner against reigning Olympic Football champions Uruguay in 1924.
Bale & Spurs: The reunion
Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the loan signing of former Spurs star Gareth Bale from Real Madrid over the weekend. Jose Mourinho will be hoping the Welshman can replicate the form he showed in the 2012/13 campaign when he scored 21 goals in the Premier League.
Tottenham also made headlines on the pitch over the weekend thanks to the scintillating form of Harry Kane and Son Heungmin. The Korea Republic star scored four goals in their 5-2 win in Southampton with all four assisted by Kane. It was the first time in Premier League history that one player had assisted another four times in a single match.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Crystal Palace defeated Manchester United 3-1 to record two successive victories at Old Trafford in club history.
L'Architetto commences new construction
Andrea Pirlo's transition from iconic midfielder to senior coach began in impressive fashion as Juventus opened the new campaign with a 3-0 win over Sampdoria. Pirlo is aiming to lead the Turin giants to a remarkable tenth successive Scudetto. Almost inevitably, Cristiano Ronaldo got his name on the scoresheet, albeit in the dying minutes.
Champs keep dream alive
Holders Al Hilal headlined the weekend AFC Champions League action by advancing to the Round of 16 with a scoreless stalemate against IR Iran's Shahr Khodro. There was good news also for fellow 2019 FIFA Club World Cup participants Al Sadd with the Qataris thumping Al Ain to put one hand on a ticket to the knockout stage.
NWSL Fall Series continues apace
Orlando Pride returned to play in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and kept a clean sheet at holding champions North Carolina Courage. It was only the fourth time the Courage failed to score at home in NWSL competition (41 matches). Elsewhere in the league, Chicago Red Stars saw off Sky Blue 4-1 thanks to a Kealia Watt brace. It was the first time in Watt's career that she was directly involved in three goals (two goals, one assist) in a NWSL match.
Best player tweets
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Quote of the weekend
"I only need to say a couple of words and that he's [Giovanni Reyna] the American dream. I don't need to say more."
Erling Haaland