Carlo Ancelotti hailed Rodrygo as "special" after the forward's goal secured a 2-1 LaLiga win over Real Betis on Real Madrid's return to Santiago Bernabeu.

Vinícius Junior scored the opening goal in Madrid's first game at their revamped home for 106 days, but Sergio Canales equalised in the first half.

Rodrygo stepped up to make it four LaLiga wins out of four for the champions and consign Betis to a first defeat.

Madrid boss Ancelotti lavished praise on the Brazil forward following his decisive 65th-minute strike.

The Italian said: "He is a special striker, he can play in all positions. He is fast, smart and effective one on one. The learning is over. He is a Real Madrid player for all purposes."

Ancelotti moved level with Vicente del Bosque in third place on the list of Los Blancos head coaches with the most victories, reaching 133 wins. They are behind Miguel Munoz (357) and Zinedine Zidane (172).

Madrid are sitting pretty at the top of the table and Ancelotti is delighted with the way they have begun the defence of their title.

He said: "We have started the season well. It was a difficult match. With the ball we have done well. We missed the last pass, but we generated a lot. The match was not easy because Betis plays very good football."

Ancelotti added: "The goal is to play effective football, which allows us to score points and win matches. With the quality we have, we are capable of putting on good games. The team dynamic is good. The squad is very confident in its quality."

Despite having a 100 per cent record, Madrid have conceded in all four LaLiga games they have played and Ancelotti says they must be tighter at the back.

He said: "This must be taken into account. The conceded goal was a pretty serious mistake. We were caught unaware behind in a throw-in. We have to improve these situations."

Real Sociedad came from behind to claim a 1-1 draw from an entertaining clash with Atletico Madrid in LaLiga, as Alexander Isak's replacement Umar Sadiq scored on his debut.

La Real fell behind early on when Alvaro Morata pounced to continue his fine start to the new season, but the hosts gave as good as they got in a first half that saw both teams hit the woodwork.

Having been introduced as a half-time substitute, Sadiq met Momo Cho's hanging cross to nod home a leveller, making an instant impact for his new club.

Diego Simeone's men stood firm despite the hosts enjoying the better of a lively second half, ensuring the two teams remain locked together on seven points from four games in LaLiga.

Atleti needed just five minutes to hit the front, with Morata on hand to lash home the rebound after Yannick Carrasco hit the near post directly from a corner.

But Jan Oblak was the busier of the two goalkeepers in the early stages, producing a strong save to deny Mikel Merino from long range 20 minutes in, shortly after the Sociedad captain had volleyed against the left-hand post. 

Morata was denied a brace 10 minutes later when Joao Felix handled in the build-up to his sweeping left-footed finish, before Jose Gimenez rattled the crossbar with an incredible long-range strike as the break approached.

The hosts continued to push after Sadiq replaced Alexander Sorloth, and the 6ft 4in striker made use of his frame when climbing to power a left-wing cross beyond Oblak at the back post after 55 minutes. 

The offside flag came to Atleti's rescue with 13 minutes remaining when Sadiq latched onto Takefusa Kubo's pass to lob Oblak, but the visitors ultimately stood firm to claim a share of the spoils.

What does it mean? Atleti struggle in San Sebastian 

Atletico Madrid came into this match having won each of their two away games at the start of the season, but can hardly have any complaints with the draw after allowing La Real to take charge.

By fighting back to level the scores, La Real avoided suffering three successive home league defeats for the first time since February 2007, and ended Los Colchoneros' run of four consecutive wins on the road.

Morata's revival continues

Morata has been in fine form since returning from an underwhelming two-year loan spell at Juventus, and needed just five minutes to score his third league goal of the campaign.

Meanwhile, the Spain international has now contributed to at least one goal on each of his last four appearances against La Real in LaLiga (four goals, one assist).

Sadiq strikes early

Having impressed for Almeria in the early weeks of the campaign, Sadiq was the man selected by Imanol Alguacil to fill the shoes of Newcastle United's new record signing Isak, and the Nigeria striker did not need long to make an impression.

Having netted within 10 minutes of making his Sociedad bow, Sadiq has now scored on each of his last three appearances in LaLiga. 

What's next?

Atletico Madrid begin their Champions League campaign at home to Porto on Wednesday, while Sociedad face a trip to Manchester United in the Europa League one day later.

Manchester City dropped points for the second time this season in the Premier League as Leon Bailey cancelled out Erling Haaland's opener to earn a 1-1 draw for Aston Villa.

Pep Guardiola's side failed to have a shot on target in the first half, yet they went ahead five minutes after the interval when Haaland prodded home from close range for his 10th goal of the season.

City were made to pay for a host of missed chances after that as Bailey rifled in with 16 minutes remaining to send Villa Park wild, delighting under-pressure home boss Steven Gerrard.

The second-placed champions moved to a point adrift of leaders Arsenal, who face a test against improving Manchester United on Sunday, while Villa climbed to 17th spot.

City started in typically dominant mood, with Kyle Walker blazing over and Kevin De Bruyne lashing wide inside the opening 10 minutes.

Villa withstood that early pressure, though, and almost took the lead in the 38th minute when Ollie Watkins' effort was deflected narrowly wide by John Stones.

City went ahead in the 50th minute with their first shot on target, Haaland stealing in at the back post to convert De Bruyne's looping cross.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker almost had a second shortly after the hour mark, yet his instinctive effort was kept out by the legs of Emiliano Martinez.

De Bruyne then clipped the top of the crossbar with a free-kick from 20 yards, before Martinez again denied Haaland.

Villa snatched a point on a rare foray forward as Bailey whipped home from 15 yards after being picked out by Jacob Ramsey.

Rafael Leao marked his 100th Serie A appearance in style with a derby double to help Milan beat Inter 3-2 at San Siro.

The Portuguese winger added an assist into the bargain as he proved to be the class act on display, having stayed at Milan amid recent interest from Chelsea.

Leao's efforts allowed Milan to score a second successive league derby win over their city rivals, with whom they share the famous stadium. It is the first time they have achieved this since first time since the 2010-11 season, when Milan won their first two league derbies under Massimiliano Allegri.

Olivier Giroud also scored as Scudetto holders Milan took the Derby della Madonnina honours, with Marcelo Brozovic and Edin Dzeko getting the goals for Inter.

Milan's defence splintered in the 21st minute to allow Brozovic a clear run on goal, with the midfielder taking on a throughball from Joaquin Correa and slotting into the bottom-left corner.

Eight minutes later, Leao came up with Milan's equaliser, a left-footed shot that arrowed across Handanovic, who got a fingertip to the ball but could not prevent it finding the right corner.

Sandro Tonali, Theo Hernandez, Charles De Ketelaere and Giroud threatened as Milan stepped up their game before half-time, gaining the upper hand.

It was Giroud who put them ahead in the 54th minute, with Leao's cross from close to the left touchline finding the French striker who send a bobbling shot across Handanovic and into the net. The goalkeeper should have done better.

Inter's defence could hang their heads in shame at the defending that allowed Leao to saunter through to fire his second and Milan's third goal in the 60th minute. The forward's nimble footwork was impressive, but the absence of a tackle was embarrassing.

There was a lifeline for the Nerazzurri when Dzeko cracked in Matteo Darmian's low centre, and Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan kicked away another shot from the Bosnian as Inter searched in vain for an equaliser.

Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann has hit back at those questioning whether his side is creative enough, while making it clear he is not concerned by the current standings.

The defending champions came from behind to draw 1-1 with Union Berlin on Saturday, their second draw in a row after winning each of their opening three matches.

Bayern came out of the blocks flying at the start of the season, scoring 15 goals in five matches, but have lost their knack in the final third in their last two Bundesliga matches.

Nagelsmann rebuffed suggestions Bayern were not doing enough with the ball, however, pointing to the club's positive goal difference and creativity in last week's draw with Borussia Monchengladbach.

"That's a bold thing to say. We had four clear chances today. Against Gladbach we had 31 shots - I think that's creative enough," he said, "[We have] plus 14 goal difference. We just lacked efficiency and made wrong decisions.

"It was a fair result. We didn't create as many chances as against Gladbach, so we can't speak about two missed points. We were sloppy and not at the level of the past weeks. Union defended with passion, were disciplined, compact and deserved the point."

After being questioned on Bayern's third-place standing in the early Bundesliga standings, Nagelsmann made it clear it is not something he is thinking about at this stage.

"I always want to win and our aim is to win the title. We're still on matchday five, so I don't give a s*** about being third," he declared.

Bayern's sights will now be set on the midweek Champions League clash with Inter, in which Nagelsmann is keen for his squad to return to the style they showed in the opening weeks of the season.

"We should go back to the energy levels of the past weeks against Inter," he added.

"Inter play at home in the Champions League, so I don't think they will play as defensively as Union did today, although I said there are parallels between the two teams."

Joaquin matched a LaLiga record on Saturday, as he made an appearance in Spain's top flight for a 20th season.

The 41-year-old, who has spent 13 years of his long career at Real Betis and is the club captain, came on in the 71st minute of his side's 2-1 loss to Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu.

It marked Joaquin's first appearance of the season and, in the process, he matched a LaLiga record set by Miquel Soler, whose senior career in Spain also lasted 20 seasons.

Joaquin's feat is all the more remarkable as he spent two seasons playing outside Spain, enjoying time in Italy with Fiorentina from 2013 to 2015.

He could not influence the Madrid game significantly as Betis lost for the first time this campaign, having 14 touches and attempting 13 passes but failing to create a chance or have a shot.

Massimiliano Allegri was angry with the way Juventus squandered a lead and defended his decision to keep Dusan Vlahovic on the bench in a 1-1 draw at Fiorentina.

Arkadiusz Milik marked his first Juve start by scoring his second goal in as many games at Stadio Artemio Franchi, but that proved to be a false dawn.

Christian Kouame equalised with a goal on the break after Weston McKennie passed when he should have tried his luck at the other end.

Mattia Perin saved Luka Jovic's penalty late in the first half after Leandro Paredes was adjudged to have handled in the penalty area on his Bianconeri debut.

Allegri withdrew Angel Di Maria at half-time as a precaution and opted to send on Moise Kean rather than in-form ex-Fiorentina striker Vlahovic as Juve made it five Serie A matches without defeat this season.

Juve head coach Allegri was not impressed with the manner in which his side were caught out for Kouame's strike.

He said: "Getting angry is an understatement, you should not concede that goal. At that moment we had to kill the game."

Allegri added: "In the second half we dropped [back], but the thing to improve absolutely is that when you have the ball when leading.

"From that ball [from McKennie] then came the corner [for Juve] and the 1-1, which changes everything."

Vlahovic had scored four goals in as many games but Allegri felt he needed a rest ahead of a Champions League opener at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

He said: "He had played several games and Milik could give us an extra hand. We wanted him to rest, then there were some forced changes."

Real Madrid maintained their 100 per cent record in LaLiga as they marked their return to the Santiago Bernabeu with a 2-1 win over Real Betis.

Madrid's opening three league games had come on the road, but the reigning champions transferred that form to home turf on Saturday.

Victory did not come easy, with Madrid unusually profligate in front of goal, while Thibaut Courtois' error allowed Betis to cancel out Vinicius Junior's opener through Canales.

Rodrygo made the decisive breakthrough midway through the second half, however, condemning Betis to a first defeat of their LaLiga campaign.

Madrid needed just nine minutes to score their first home league goal against Betis since March 2017 when David Alaba picked out the run of Vinicius who, having beat the offside trap, lofted a fine finish over Rui Silva.

The celebratory mood was stifled eight minutes later, however. Borja Iglesias brilliantly held off his marker and laid it off for Canales, whose low finish found a way under Thibaut Courtois.

Madrid's response was immediate, with Rodrygo finding Vinicius, but from close range the winger blazed his attempt over, while Silva pulled off a fine save to deny Aurelien Tchouameni.

Los Blancos' dominance continued into the second half – Karim Benzema spared by the offside flag for a dismal miss a yard out – and Silva tipping a stinging Luka Modric strike onto the post.

Yet Madrid's winner came in the 65th minute. Ancelotti turned to Federico Valverde for inspiration from the bench and, with his second touch, the Uruguay international provided just that, cutting back to Rodrygo, who benefitted from weak goalkeeping from Silva.

Rodrygo was agonisingly close to a second when his cute volley clipped the crossbar, though Madrid's failure to add a third did not ultimately prove costly.

Bayern Munich failed to bounce back to winning ways in the Bundesliga as Union Berlin doggedly held them to a 1-1 draw at Alte Forsterei on Saturday.

The champions slipped up for the first time this top-flight season previously against Borussia Monchengladbach, and were looking to get back on track away from home.

But Julian Nagelsmann's side were forced to settle for a point that means both they and Urs Fischer's opponents stay locked behind Borussia Dortmund at the summit, in a match that struggled to live up to its explosive start.

Any idea of a quiet afternoon in the capital looked to have been swiftly dashed in a blockbuster opening quarter of an hour, which saw the hosts fire home first before the visitors hit back barely three minutes later.

Sheraldo Becker chopped a fine volley across the face of goal off a looping free kick for Union, before Bayern promptly responded through Joshua Kimmich's rifled finish.

Leroy Sane subsequently went close twice over the final stages of the first half, forcing a save and steering another effort wide.

That looked to set the table for a dramatic encounter after the break, only for the home side to double down on a defensive approach that saw them hold just over a fifth of the possession throughout, lying deep to frustrate their rivals.

Bayern continued to launch wave after wave of offensive action to no avail, with both Sane and Sadio Mane coming close to finding a winner – but ultimately, they were held stubbornly at bay for a cagey share of the points.

Arkadiusz Milik scored his second goal in as many games and Mattia Perin saved a Luka Jovic penalty as Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw at Fiorentina.

Milik made his first Juve start, with in-form ex-Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic dropping to the bench, and he opening the scoring early on at Stadio Artemio Franchi.

The Bianconeri faded after that promising start and Christian Kouame equalised with his first Serie A goal since September 2020.

Perin brilliantly denied Jovic after Leandro Paredes gave away a penalty on his debut and that ensured Juve remain unbeaten this season.

Juve were in front nine minutes in, when Juan Cuadrado's cross was met by a Filip Kostic volley that was chested in by Milik from close range.

The Viola deservedly equalised on the break just before the half-hour mark, Kouame racing onto Riccardo Sottil's measured pass and sliding a composed finish under Perin after Weston McKennie had inexplicably passed when he should have shot at the other end.

Jovic had a golden opportunity to put Fiorentina in front just before half-time, but his spot-kick was superbly tipped onto the post by Perin after referee Daniele Doveri ruled that Paredes had handled Sottil's cross following a VAR check.

Massimiliano Allegri replaced Angel Di Maria with Mattia De Sciglio at the break and the frustrated Juve head coach was booked for dissent.

Antonin Barak's strike was well blocked by Gleison Bremer in a drab second half, with Vlahovic strangely an unused substitute.

Sofyan Amrabat almost won it late on but the impressive stand-in goalkeeper Perin produced an excellent save to ensure it was honours even.

Marcelo has signed for Greek Super League champions Olympiacos after bringing down the curtain on his glittering Real Madrid career.

The left-back – a five-time European champion – was firmly behind Ferland Mendy in Madrid's pecking order last term, starting only seven games in all competitions as Los Blancos won LaLiga and the Champions League.

Although Marcelo was club captain, Karim Benzema usually skippered Carlo Ancelotti's team. Marcelo then departed when his contract expired at the end of the 2021-22 season, ending a 15-year stay with the Spanish giants.

Marcelo said upon leaving Madrid: "I won't retire, not now. I feel I can still play. Facing Real Madrid won't be a problem. I'm a big Madridista, but I'm also a big professional."

He was available as a free agent and was recently linked with Premier League side Leicester City.

However, the 34-year-old has ended up at Olympiacos, who described him as "a true football legend" when announcing the deal.

There is unlikely to be the opportunity to face Madrid this season, with Olympiacos having failed to qualify for the Champions League group stage, losing to Maccabi Haifa in the preliminary rounds.

FIFA and UEFA have issued a joint statement condemning a "horrific act" that saw gunshots fired at the Turkish Football Association headquarters on Thursday.

Reports from Turkey indicate 11 shots were fired in the direction of the building in Istanbul as the board met inside, though fortunately nobody was hurt.

Turkish Interior Minister, Suleyman Soylu, said two suspects were arrested shortly after the incident occurred, describing them as "drunk", with investigations ongoing.

Football governing bodies FIFA and UEFA condemned the indicent, expressing relief that no injuries were sustained.

"On Thursday, a horrific act of gun violence against the people and property of the Turkish Football Association (TFF) occurred at the TFF's headquarters in Istanbul," the statement read.

"As much as we are relieved that these acts resulted in no injuries, we regret that there are still people capable of such crimes with no respect for human life or safety.

"FIFA and UEFA jointly condemn this violent act and express our full support for the TFF and its staff at this difficult time. Violence is a disease that cannot be tolerated in any form."

Former Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Turkey international Hamit Altintop, now one of the federation's leaders, was in the building at the time of the incident.

"We threw ourselves to the ground as soon as we heard the shots," he told the Milliyet daily.

Xavi Tamarit, UEFA Pro License Coach from Valencia, Spain, will be in Jamaica for the next two weeks, during which time he, along with Andre Virtue, the founder and director of Ballaz Academy, will evaluate and strengthen the academy’s overall philosophy, technical, tactical, and coaching capabilities. They will also finalize an eight-year development plan that the academy is about to embark on.

Tamarit boasts an enviable record in football development and philosophy with over 15 years of coaching experience.

He has coached at the professional level in the English Premier League with Southampton FC, in La Liga with Valencia CF, Deportivo Alavés and CD Leganés and in Greece with Aris FC and Levadiakos FC.

He has also coached in Argentina with Estudiantes de La Plata, CA Independiente and Vélez Sarsfield.

He has also written two internationally recognized books on the methodology of training called Tactical Periodization and has spoken at conferences around the world at the invitation of federations and universities.

As a player, Tamarit competed in the Champions League, UEFA Cup, Libertadores Cup and South American Cup.

Xavi’s visit, the result of an invitation from Virtue, is part of the strengthening of the relationship between Ballaz Academy and The Next Generation Sports (TNGS), Valencia Spain.

The two organizations have in place an MOU which includes Coaching Development & Education, player and coach exchanges, tours, camps, clinics and workshops.

“As we celebrate 20 years, we have much to give thanks for. We have achieved much and impacted the lives of many of Jamaica’s most talented football players at the primary, secondary and club level,” said Virtue.

“As we look ahead, however, we are committed to pioneering even more pathways for our players and coaches and we are being more intentional about connecting with global stakeholders and partners.

“Xavi’s presence here is a part of that intentionality. First and foremost, he is a friend, then a coaching colleague with an amazing football mind and we share a passion for youth football development and the opportunities that football can provide.

“It is an honour to have Xavi here sharing his love for football, Jamaica, and his experiences as a pro coach. As we continue to build our relationship with TNGS, we build pathways of opportunity for our players and by extension other Jamaican coaches and players.”

Xavi, who has had previous visits to Jamaica in 2011 and 2012 shared that, “Being in Jamaica is a wonderful experience. Andre’ and the Ballaz family came to Spain in July and we were able to see the high level of play as well as the character demonstrated by the players.

The coaching philosophy of Ballaz is also one that is impressive because it focuses not only on developing world-class footballers but great people. I know that this relationship started many years ago with Ivan Salazar, Director of TNGS and it is good to see that it is now at a place where Ballaz can benefit even more from what we have to offer.”

Since, 2002 Ballaz International has been coaching the lives of their football players with the goals of not just top-class football, but building the character of its participants in an atmosphere of love, family and professional excellence. “Our vision is to transform individuals, families, communities, the nation and the world through love and football,” Virtue said.

Barcelona "made a tremendous effort" in the transfer window, according to head coach Xavi, who also confirmed the imminent signing of Marcos Alonso.

Barca recruited heavily during the transfer window, welcoming a wealth of major recruits from across Europe.

The club's well-documented financial troubles forced them to find creative solutions to register players such as Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde, while they also moved for several free transfers in the market.

Former academy player Hector Bellerín returned on Thursday following his release by Arsenal, while it is expected that Marcos Alonso will join by the end of Friday after his contract was terminated by Chelsea.

Ahead of his side's trip to Sevilla, Xavi expressed his delight with Barca's transfer progress at a press conference on Friday.

"The club has made a tremendous effort," he said. "We have a competitive squad, we need to prove it. We are very happy and satisfied with where we are.

"[It] has lacked some players, [but I am] happy and satisfied. [It has been] between the best and the intermediate [outcome]."

He also confirmed the expected arrival of Alonso, adding: "I wanted full-backs. What we needed more was a right-back. Bellerín is going to help us a lot, and Alonso too. I'm delighted with both signings.

"The registration of Alonso? Yes, we are optimistic that everything will be resolved today before midnight. We are convinced that he can be registered for the Champions League."

All eyes turn to one of the biggest derbies in world football this weekend, as Milan and Inter battle it out at the San Siro.

The two arch-rivals went toe-to-toe in the hunt for the Serie A title last season, with Milan emerging victorious on the final day to clinch the league crown for the first time since 2011.

Stefano Pioli's side have begun their title defence with an unbeaten start to the campaign, securing two wins and two draws, while Inter have won three of four, losing to Lazio last Friday.

Still early in the season, a single point separates the two and bragging rights are on the cards on Saturday, though neither side has a particularly good record against one another in recent years.

Milan seek to end poor derby return

A 2-1 victory over Inter in February, where Olivier Giroud netted a brace, puts Milan in hunt of consecutive league wins against Inter for the first time since 2011 – which were the first two league derbies played under Massimiliano Allegri.

While they were victorious in that particular clash, the two Coppa Italia semi-final ties in March and April saw Milan unable to score in either tie, meaning they could go three consecutive derbies without scoring for the first time since 1980.

Milan's last win as the designated host at San Siro against Inter came in Serie A back in January 2016, with Inter winning three and drawing three against the Rossoneri since then.

Inzaghi's unwanted record

Simone Inzaghi has only won one point in his first two derbies in Serie A since joining the Nerazzurri and is seeking a win to prevent an unwanted record, as failure to do so would see him become the first Inter coach not to win any of his first three matches against Milan in the top-flight since Osvaldo Bagnoli in 1993 (D2 L1).

In order to secure victory, Inter could turn to Joaquin Correa who has scored four goals in Serie A against Milan, more than any other side. The Argentine has also scored four goals in his last five appearances in the competition, having gone goalless in his previous 18.

Either way, there should be goals and a victor as Inter are the only team, excluding relegated and promoted sides, not to draw a Serie A match since last April.

During that sequence, Inter have 11 wins, at least three more than any other team, and two losses – one of which was the 3-1 defeat to Lazio last Friday.

Leao vs Lautaro

Having fended off transfer interest from Chelsea, Rafael Leao is set to make his 100th Serie A appearance in Saturday's game and the Brazilian's record sees him stand as one of the finest young players in the division.

Among players born since 1999, Leao has provided 16 Serie A assists, more than anyone else, and has scored 24 goals – putting him behind only Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic (55) and Inter's Andrea Pinamonti (25), who is on loan at Sassuolo.

With Romelu Lukaku absent through injury, Inter will turn to Lautaro Martinez to find the difference and the Argentine enters the tie in a fine vein of form.

Martinez has been involved in a goal in each of his first four appearances this season (three goals, one assist), only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2007-08) and Nicolo Barella (2021-22) have had a hand in a goal in their first Serie A appearances in a second for Inter since 2004-05, when Opta started collecting assist data.

Pioli's perfect return

Though Milan's recent record against Inter does not make for pretty reading, their overall record heading into Saturday's derby is encouraging as they have won five consecutive home matches in Serie A.

A sixth in a row with victory against Inter would see Milan hit that tally for the first time since August 2014, under Clarence Seedorf and Filippo Inzaghi.

Milan's defence is also looking strong, having kept a clean sheet in their last two Serie A matches. A third this weekend would see Milan secure three clean sheets in the first five top-flight seasonal games in three campaigns in a row for the third time in their history (after 1952-23, 1953-54, 1954-55 and 1978-79, 1979-1980 and 1981-1982).