After the grand unveiling of UEFA's new-look Champions League took centre stage in midweek, with goal-crazy Bayern Munich immediately going top of the table, domestic football was back under the spotlight around Europe this weekend.
Bayern were at it again on Saturday, as they found the net for the 20th time in just a week, shortly after Ligue 1 side Nice had helped themselves to a hatful on Friday evening.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid ruthlessly maintained their unbeaten run in La Liga, and Juventus kept their Serie A clean-sheet streak alive against Napoli.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up the weekend's action from across the continent.
Bundesliga highlights
Having thumped six past Holstein Kiel last week, then thrashed Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in the Champions League, a merciless Bayern Munich side made it 20 goals in one week when they visited Werder Bremen at the Weserstadion.
Amid a cast of attacking stars, Michael Olise shone brightest, as he first opened the scoring before setting up Jamal Musiala for Bayern's second.
The France forward later set up Harry Kane's 41st Bundesliga goal, which made the ex-Tottenham Hotspur striker the highest-scoring English player in German league history, managing the feat in just 36 appearances.
Olise then netted his fifth goal in three games before Serge Gnabry scored the fifth: Bayern's summer signing has now produced a goal involvement every 41 minutes since arriving from Crystal Palace.
29 - FC Bayern have scored 29 goals under coach Vincent Kompany - a new club record for the first six competitive matches of an FCB coach (since the Bundesliga was founded). Furious. #SVWFCB pic.twitter.com/2cmvxIesAm
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) September 21, 2024
The Bavarian giants also continued their perfect Bundesliga start under new boss Vincent Kompany, as they aim to regain the Meisterschale.
Meanwhile, last week's victims Holstein Kiel finally picked up their first top-tier point ever, as a late equaliser earned them a 2-2 draw at VfL Bochum.
Ligue 1 highlights
Nice is enjoying their 120th anniversary match 👏😎 pic.twitter.com/gNM3TyYK1S
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) September 20, 2024
Perhaps taking their inspiration from Bayern's exploits in Europe, Nice became the first team to score at least six goals in the first half of a Ligue 1 game this century, as they crushed Saint-Etienne 8-0 on Friday night.
Recording their biggest-ever top-flight win, the home side were inspired by Mohamed-Ali Cho, who scored the third goal and provided assists for three others as Les Aiglons ran riot.
Meanwhile, normal service was resumed as Paris Saint-Germain posted a fifth win from five to remain unbeaten in 26 Ligue 1 away matches.
Ousmane Dembele's second-half equaliser earned PSG a 1-1 draw at Reims, as the France winger made an almost immediate impact after arriving from the bench.
FIRST MATCH AND FIRST TWO GOALS BY ANDY CARROLL WITH BORDEAUX 🏴🔥
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) September 21, 2024
📸 @girondins pic.twitter.com/ZdBwWVFdUv
Elsewhere in France, former Liverpool and Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll sensationally scored twice as a substitute for a Bordeaux team founded in the ashes of the club's recent financial implosion.
His goals helped salvage a 2-2 draw for the former Ligue 1 giants, who were champions of France just 15 years ago but must now play in the fourth tier.
Capped nine times by England - including at Euro 2012 - Carroll's new club sit 15th of 16 teams in their division, though they still have games in hand.
La Liga highlights
What a cross by Vini Jr 🪄
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) September 21, 2024
Real Madrid finally lead against Espanyol as Rodrygo scores from close range ⚪ pic.twitter.com/GGYRmpIfSw
Vinicius Junior came off the bench to score one goal and set up another as La Liga champions Real Madrid ultimately cruised to a 4-1 win over Espanyol on Saturday.
Thibaut Courtois erred by scoring an own goal to put his side 1-0 down, but the Belgian goalkeeper was spared by his teammates, as Rodrygo levelled matters and Vini Jr then took centre stage.
Real later became the first team to net five penalties after just six games of a La Liga season, when Kylian Mbappe joined Karim Benzema as the only Madrid players to score from the spot in three consecutive league matches so far this century.
As a result, Los Blancos remained in second place on 14 points - one behind leaders Barcelona, who meet Villarreal on Sunday.
Carlo Ancelotti's men have now gone 37 straight games without defeat in La Liga, which is the third-best unbeaten run throughout the competition's history, after Barca in 2018 and Real Sociedad in 1980.
Serie A highlights
It's never over until it's over ⌚#LecceParma pic.twitter.com/6dIDBo6ELt
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) September 22, 2024
In Italy, two stoppage-time strikes turned the game on its head as promoted Parma fought back to salvage a remarkable 2-2 draw at Lecce, with both teams down to 10 men.
Having let leads slip several times since returning to Calcio's elite level as Serie B champions, Parma this time pulled off a last-gasp escape, with goals from ex-Lecce winger Pontus Almqvist and Antoine Hainaut dragging them level at Via del Mare.
It was only the second time that the Crociati have ever scored twice after the 90th minute in a Serie A fixture.
Saturday's blockbuster showdown between Juventus and Napoli was a far less dramatic affair, though, as ex-Juve boss Antonio Conte left Turin with a hard-earned point in his pocket.
The teams played out a disappointing goalless draw, with Conte's Napoli having come into the contest on the back of a three-match winning streak and the hosts fresh from beating PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.
Remarkably, Juventus have now drawn three consecutive league games 0-0 for the first time since 1992, when legendary coach Giovanni Trapattoni was in charge of the Bianconeri.
A fine header to restore the Granata's advantage 😎#VeronaTorino 1-2 pic.twitter.com/2fGLhSfzqh
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) September 20, 2024
Elsewhere, Torino's Duvan Zapata scored an eighth straight headed goal in the Granata's 3-2 win at Hellas Verona: that is at least two more than anyone else across Europe's top five leagues in 2024 - Alexander Sorloth is his closest challenger, with six.
And, in Cagliari, an incredibly long drought finally came to its end: Empoli forward Sebastiano Esposito scored his second goal in the Italian top flight some 1735 days after his first - a penalty against for Inter Milan, on 21 December 2019.
