Paris St Germain made a winning start in their bid to reclaim the Ligue 1 crown as they came from behind to win 2-1 at newly-promoted Troyes.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side, whose preparations for the game were overshadowed by rumours linking the club with Lionel Messi, were stunned when Oualid El Hajjam headed Troyes into a ninth-minute lead at the Stade de l’Aube.
But PSG quickly turned the game around with new signing Achraf Hakimi equalising 10 minutes later and Mauro Icardi then putting them ahead after 21 minutes.
FULL-TIME: Troyes 1-2 @PSG_English— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) August 7, 2021
That proved enough for the visitors, who held on despite late pressure from the hosts.
Lyon needed an equaliser from substitute Islam Slimani to claim a 1-1 draw in their opener against Brest.
The former Leicester striker struck with his first touch of the ball to level after 62 minutes at the Groupama Stadium.
Irvin Cardona had given the visitors the lead two minutes before the interval after a fine run and long-range shot.
60 Games – 60 Goals pic.twitter.com/ulzXVk9vgH— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) August 7, 2021
Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick as Borussia Dortmund got their season up and running with a routine 3-0 win over third division Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
The treble took the prolific Norwegian’s tally for the club to 60 goals in as many games.
Elsewhere in the cup, RB Leipzig claimed a comfortable 4-0 win at Sandhausen, Stuttgart thrashed Dynamo Berlin 6-0 and Bayer Leverkusen saw off Lokomotive Leipzig 3-0.
One notable shock of the round saw Bundesliga newcomers Greuther Furth beaten 5-4 on penalties by fourth division Babelsberg after a 2-2 draw.
