Paris, France: Colombian striker Radamel Falcao helped pay back some of his record €60 million (Dh294 million) transfer as he struck a late goal in Monaco’s 2-0 win over Bordeaux in their French top-flight opener on Saturday.
After Emmanuel Riviere scrambled home an 82nd minute goal, Falcao showed all his predatory instincts as he pounced on a loose ball in the box to slide the ball home with just two minutes remaining.
“The two goals were important, but it’s too early to talk about anything else,” said Monaco coach Claudio Ranieri. “I was curious to see my team against Bordeaux, who are a good side with big, strong players and who are very compact on the counter-attack.”
Despite the win, Monaco only clinched a single point after they were deducted two following crowd trouble last season.
There were also opening-day victories for Lyon, Rennes, Valenciennes and Lille while champions Paris Saint-Germain were held to a 1-1 draw at Montpeller on the opening day of the season on Friday.
At the Stade Gerland, seven-time champions Lyon coasted to a 4-0 win over hapless Nice after taking a 13th-minute lead when Alexandre Lacazette won a battle in the box before banging home from what replays suggested was an offside position.
Clement Grenier then doubled the lead for Remi Garde’s men nine minutes inside the second half after good work from former French player of the year Yoann Gourcuff as the team got the ideal preparation to face Real Sociedad in the final round of Champions League qualifying in the first leg on August 20.
Lacazette added a second and guaranteed top spot albeit on goal difference with his second of the match with 22 minutes remaining before Gourcuff put a gloss on the scoreline with a late fourth.
Nantes got off to a flying start on their return to the top flight for the first time since 2009 when Serbian international Filip Dordevic slipped the ball past Bastia goalkeeper Mickael Landreau, who began his career with Nantes at the age of 17.
Valenciennes took the lead at home to Toulouse in controversial fashion when the referee awarded a soft penalty after contact between Steeve Yago on Gregory Pujol but inexplicably sent off Serbian defender Uros Spajic, who had little to do with the action.
Regardless, Maor Melikson converted the penalty on 37 minutes.
Jose Saez made the points safe on 52 minutes when he crashed home a low shot after a close-range header came back off the crossbar following a corner and Pujol tucked away the third in the dying seconds.
The 2011 champions Lille held on for a hard-earned 1-0 win over Britanny side Lorient while neighbours Rennes enjoyed better luck as they rode an 84th-minute winner from Mevlut Erding to sink Reims 2-1.
Elsewhere, French Cup finalists Evian and Sochaux battled to a 1-1 draw,
On Friday, PSG dropped points as they began their defence of the title with a 1-1 draw at 10-man Montpellier.
It was the hosts who scored the opening goal of the new season, a rasping drive from Remy Cabella after just 10 minutes.
The capital side finally managed to get back on terms on the hour mark through Brazilian Maxwell.
Meanwhile, in Germany, new-signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit a hat-trick as Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund kicked off their Bundesliga season with an emphatic 4-0 win at Augsburg on Saturday.
With defending champions Bayern Munich, under new coach Pep Guardiola, having already enjoyed a 3-1 win at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday, 24-year-old Gabon forward Aubameyang showed why Dortmund paid French Cup winners St Etienne €13 million for him.
“Aubameyang was used to great effect,” said Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp. “I am not surprised about what he has to offer, only the fact that most of his shots went in. It’s a very good start from us.”
Aubameyang became the sixth player in Bundesliga history to hit three goals on his debut.
He opened his account by heading home a Marcel Schmelzer cross from the left wing to put Dortmund ahead after 24 minutes. Aubameyang celebrated with his trademark forward somersault, then doubled Dortmund’s advantage when he slipped his marker and fired home across the goal on 66 minutes.
The Gabon star went on to convert a great pass from Robert Lewandowski on 79 minutes to wrap up his hat-trick before the Poland striker converted a penalty in the dying stages.
South Korea striker Son Heung-min also scored on his first competitive appearance for Champions League side Bayer Leverkusen in their 3-1 win at home to Freiburg.
Germany striker Stefan Kiessling put the hosts ahead with 22 minutes gone, but Freiburg’s new signing Mike Hanke levelled just before the break.
Son restored Leverkusen’s lead just two minutes after the break when he fired home from close range after a pass from Sidney Sam.
Germany midfielder Sam then converted Kiessling’s cross to seal the win with 52 minutes gone, while Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno protected his side’s lead when he saved a 67th-minute penalty from Jonathan Schmid.
Hertha Berlin marked their return to the top-flight after a year’s absence with a 6-1 rout of Eintracht Frankfurt.
Colombia striker Adrian Ramos and Tunisia forward Sami Allagui each scored twice in the hammering at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, while a first-half penalty from Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Alex Meier was all the guests could muster.
“The performance was sensational,” said Hertha coach Jos Luhukay. “From the first minute, we made sure Frankfurt failed to find their rhythm.
“We have our first three points, it was a good start, but now we need to get back to business and improve on it.”
Hanover 96 enjoyed a 2-0 win over Wolfsburg, who finished with nine men after both midfielder Maximilian Arnold and Swiss defender Timm Klose were sent off.
Arnold was shown a straight red card with just 32 minutes gone for a bad tackle on Hanover’s Tunisia defender Karim Haggui, while Klose was sent off seven minutes after the break for his second yellow card.
Hoffenheim were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Nuremberg while Werder Bremen enjoyed a 1-0 win at newly promoted Eintracht Braunschweig with Austria midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic hitting the 82-minute winner.
On Sunday, Mainz were due to host Stuttgart and Hamburg were at Schalke.
