Winners and Losers: Spurs suffer another dismal defeat as Fernandes and Messi star

[h2]Winner: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandes-bruno/GYvAMDm2/"]Bruno Fernandes[/a][/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]Manchester United[/a] bounced back from a shock opening-day defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hull-city/S66R0t75/"]Hull[/a] by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ipswich-thqhB2MB/manchester-utd-ppjDR086/?mid=4S67nB0K"]thrashing Ipswich 5-2 at Old Trafford,[/a] with captain Bruno Fernandes returning to form in superb style.[/p][infobox id="c5ce5f5a-ccb6-468f-9fce-bb4a330c372a" /][p]The playmaker - who broke the Premier League assist record for a single season last term - turned into United's key threat in front of goal with a hat-trick against the Tractor Boys.[/p][p]Fernandes also got off the mark creatively, setting up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mbeumo-bryan/8KDrOl80/"]Bryan Mbeumo[/a]'s goal to complete the Red Devils' rout, earning a perfect 10 Flashscore rating in the process.[/p][image alt="Fernandes v Ipswich" id="0b83afde-8fff-4065-862c-c1d2143cf189" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="cad3c3f7-73a3-488d-9de8-8825c81cd4b8" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][h2]Losers: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Tottenham[/a][/h2][p]Fans were expecting a brand-new Spurs team for the 2026/27 season following a summer of huge money spent and a major reshaping of their squad.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-zerbi-roberto/pYizckpN/"]Roberto De Zerbi[/a] has added eight players to his team for a reported total spend of over £300 million - with more still set to arrive - and yet, they suffered their second loss of the season after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/newcastle-p6ahwuwJ/tottenham-UDg08Ohm/?mid=ry1ouThf"]being beaten 2-0 at home by Newcastle.[/a][/p][p]The north London club now sits bottom of the division after two games, five goals conceded, and none scored - with the new era so far showing little improvement from the team that finished 17th in the past two campaigns.[/p][image alt="Spurs v Newcastle match stats" id="759b8e9d-5107-44f6-bd1c-38f78fe46bfe" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="6983a96b-abcd-4f42-89c1-4c575ef62b09" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][h2]Winners: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/elversberg/6in2Eknb/"]Elversberg[/a][/h2][p]Just four years ago, Elversberg were in the fourth tier of German football. Fast forward to 2026, and they are in the Bundesliga as the smallest town to ever be represented in Germany's top division.[/p][p]They enjoyed promotion to the top tier after finishing second in the 2. Bundesliga last season, capping off a wonderful rise through German football.[/p][p]Elversberg enjoyed a dream debut in the top-flight, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/bayer-leverkusen-4jcj2zMd/elversberg-6in2Eknb/?mid=6q9MVvD5"]defeating Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 at the Ursapharm-Arena[/a] after goals from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/petkov-lukas/lWlv74vQ/"]Lukas Petkov[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/campbell-cole/UcgjQQhH/"]Cole Campbell[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mokwa-ntusu-david/p4xCB27i/"]David Mokwa Ntusu[/a].[/p][embed guid="1d020c18-1b4b-4e63-b272-ab9455398a05" url="https://x.com/SV07Elversberg/status/2094082864224567347" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Losers: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/vfb-stuttgart/nJQmYp1B/"]Stuttgart[/a][/h2][p]Stuttgart finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season and faced a difficult opening-day clash with reigning champions Bayern Munich over the weekend.[/p][p]In what was a good opportunity to lay a marker down for the campaign ahead, Stuttgart were [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/bayern-munich-nVp0wiqd/stuttgart-nJQmYp1B/?mid=xrtCcyAe"]battered by the hosts in a disappointing 5-1 defeat.[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/upamecano-dayot/OMhLhEJB/"]Dayot Upamecano[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/olise-michael/E5pvwqkK/"]Michael Olise[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pavlovic-aleksandar/noANPQx4/"]Aleksandar Pavlovic[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diaz-luis/SKjMUHVm/"]Luis Diaz[/a] all found the net, on top of an own goal by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vagnoman-josha/MNTqORR3/"]Josha Vagnoman[/a], to see the current holders start things off with a bang.[/p][embed guid="03f8b9c8-6f5d-419a-8289-d06af06014e5" url="https://x.com/FCBayernEN/status/2094192225164951618" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Winner: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/messi-lionel/vgOOdZbd/"]Lionel Messi[/a][/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter-miami/0AheRyBg/"]Inter Miami[/a] superstar Lionel Messi has shown no signs of slowing down after returning to the club following the 2026 World Cup.[/p][p]The Argentine was in superb form [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/cf-montreal-j9cigLCr/inter-miami-0AheRyBg/?mid=48wU5mmn"]in Miami's 7-1 thrashing of CF Montreal[/a], getting one assist and netting a hat-trick to earn a perfect 10 Flashscore rating.[/p][p]Messi was awarded just three goals by Opta, who adjudged his free-kick to be a cross rather than a shot when it deflected into the net, while the MLS has credited the 39-year-old with four goals in the rout of Montreal.[/p][image alt="Messi v Montreal" id="db4e6aaf-4e2d-4291-8834-6e1e04e779cc" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="06d65178-0237-4bd2-8db5-203a04fc0d7e" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][h2]Losers: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/club-brugge/rgTHIK74/"]Club Brugge[/a][/h2][p]The Flanders Derby between [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/gent/MgkzUx7T/"]Gent[/a] and Club Brugge was played out in the Jupiler Pro League over the weekend, with the former [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/club-brugge-kv-rgTHIK74/gent-MgkzUx7T/?mid=p0e4kOW9"]getting the better of their opponents in a 2-1 victory.[/a][/p][p]Young forward [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vergara-ortega-josue-yamir/IgWIDqV8/"]Josue Vergara[/a] opened the scoring before veteran Brugge midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vanaken-hans/0Cu4qHps/"]Hans Vanaken[/a] equalised just two minutes later.[/p][p]Things took a turn for Brugge when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/borges-carlos/8fgZJL8J/"]Carlos Forbs[/a] was shown a straight red card for lashing out off the ball, and Gent capitalised through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cisse-ibrahima/Wfl5qKf9/"]Ibrahima Cisse[/a] to secure the win in the 85th minute.[/p][p]The match-winner was then sent off deep into added time to cap off a wild derby between two of Belgium's top clubs.[/p][embed guid="b08b42d7-5563-4708-871d-b5787a5c830b" url="https://x.com/KAAGent/status/2094053432260714841" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Winner: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schuurs-perr/ARdXOcOJ/"]Perr Schuurs[/a][/h2][p]We end with one of the feel-good stories of the weekend in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nijmegen/nRluRF0T/"]NEC Nijmegen[/a] defender Perr Schuurs netting on his return to football after 1,043 days on the sidelines.[/p][p]The former [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ajax/8UOvIwnb/"]Ajax[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/torino/MZFZnvX4/"]Torino[/a] player had been out of action for almost three years after suffering a severe knee injury and terminated his contract in Italy back in February 2026.[/p][p]Schuurs returned to the Netherlands over the summer to join NEC Nijmegen and repaid their faith in him with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/nijmegen-nRluRF0T/zwolle-r1L5w2EB/?mid=rTCSueHl"]a debut goal in their 3-1 win over PEC Zwolle.[/a][/p][embed guid="9fee2baf-7304-48fc-9eea-c5e6e1c4d3eb" url="https://x.com/ESPNnl/status/2093806371623903411" social-type="twitter" /][infobox id="46ab50a1-2c17-4fac-b4ad-0e7883bdd9e0" /]