The 2026-27 European football season has returned with the opening weekend of the English Premier League. Liverpool, now under new manager Andoni Iraola, looked vulnerable against Newcastle United and still appear to be searching for cohesion. Newcastle lost Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and manager Eddie Howe during the summer, yet Matthias Jaissle set up a competitive team, with Anthony Elanga bringing pace to the attack. Liverpool avoided defeat only deep into injury time. Lewis Hall conceded a penalty and Dominik Szoboszlai converted it to save a point. Before that late reprieve, Yoane Wissa missed two clear opportunities. Iraola pointed to Liverpool's 36 touches in the Newcastle penalty area and an expected-goals figure that was twice that of the opposition, although the penalty inflated that total. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have yet to look suited to Iraola's preferred approach, while Hugo Ekitike will not return until the new year. Michael Carrick's first match as permanent Manchester United manager ended in a 2-0 defeat away to Hull City. His 4-2-3-1 system required two midfielders able to cover ground quickly and stop counter-attacks, but Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos did not provide that mobility. Both were substituted after United were repeatedly exposed on the break. The club are pursuing Carlos Baleba, though one signing alone would not resolve every issue in the side. Matheus Cunha started up front, while Benjamin Sesko was absent from the starting lineup. Kobbie Mainoo came off the bench without changing the course of the match. Carrick called the result a huge disappointment but said it did not alter the team's direction. A Champions League schedule may leave him with less training time to improve United's defending. Manchester City also left it late against Bournemouth, scoring twice in the final five minutes to win at home. In LaLiga, Jose Mourinho returned to Real Madrid after 13 years and opened with a 2-1 victory over Espanyol. Madrid's team included Denzel Dumfries, Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate and Jude Bellingham, giving the side considerable physical presence. Carlos Espi, standing 6-foot-4, made the decisive contribution after coming on with 11 minutes remaining and scoring the winner. Madrid signed him for €25M around the time Gonzalo Garcia joined Fulham for €40M. Despite the win, Madrid's defending looked vulnerable when Alex Calatrava scored for Espanyol. Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe drifted in and out of the match, while Bernardo Silva and Fede Valverde could not perform Aurelien Tchouameni's role in front of the back four. Mourinho must still work out how Yan Diomande, Arda Guler and Bellingham can fit into a team that has not spent much time together. Barcelona beat Elche 5-0 despite not starting Pedri, Rodri, Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi or Dani Olmo. Raphinha played centrally ahead of Fermin Lopez, while Karim Adeyemi and Lamine Yamal attacked from wide positions. New signing Anthony Gordon impressed on the left wing. Nineteen-year-old Marc Bernal and Gavi played in midfield, and Barcelona showed they can be effective without a conventional number nine. In Germany, Bayern Munich defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the German Super Cup. With Jamal Musiala, Lennart Karl and Serge Gnabry unavailable, Nathaniel Brown was chosen ahead of Ismael Saibari for the number 10 position. Brown, who has previously played at full-back, scored the opening goal and impressed especially in the first half. For football followers in Somalia and across the Somali diaspora, the opening weeks offer a reason to watch closely: major clubs are testing new managers, altered squads and unfamiliar combinations. That uncertainty can make early Premier League, LaLiga and European fixtures especially compelling for Somali fans who follow the sport week by week.