European football: Thiago Motta’s Juventus reign starts with Como stroll

New head coach Thiago Motta led Juventus to a comfortable 3-0 win over newly promoted Como in their Serie A opener at a sold-out Allianz Stadium on Monday.

Belgian forward Samuel Mbangula and USA winger Timothy Weah both netted in the first half, scoring their first goals for Juve in Serie A, before Andrea Cambiaso added the third from a distance in stoppage time.

Rejuvenated Juventus start a new chapter under Motta, who led Bologna to the Champions League last season and will now hope to bring the Serie A title back to Turin for the first time in four years.

It was a harsh night for visitors Como, who challenged Juve for possession but lacked the quality to create clear chances on their return to the Italian top flight after 21 years. Como, coached by former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fàbregas, sealed promotion to Serie A after finishing second in Italy’s second tier last season, three points behind Serie B champions Parma.

Juventus appeared confident from the off and Dusan Vlahovic threatened Como’s goal in the 20th minute when his header went just wide, before Mbangula put them in front in the 23rd with a solo effort.

The 20-year-old struck low from the edge of the box, sending the ball into the bottom corner on his first-team debut following a season with Juve’s reserves. Mbangula also became the youngest Belgian goalscorer in the history of Serie A and the first Belgian player to score in the Italian top flight for Juve.

Juventus extended their lead in first-half stoppage time through Weah, who fired home a Kenan Yildiz cross and saw the ball bounce in off the inside of the bar. The hosts restarted on the front foot and Vlahovic thought he had made it 3-0 just after the break, nodding home a Juan Cabal cross – but the goal was ruled out for offside. Cambiaso, however, added the third goal in the dying minutes.

Atalanta beat Lecce 4-0 earlier on Monday, with two goals apiece from Marco Brescianini and Mateo Retegui.

In La Liga, Atlético Madrid fought back twice to earn a point from an entertaining 2-2 draw at Villarreal in their season opener on Monday.

Arnaut Danjuma gave the locals the lead with a strike from close-range in the 18th minute but Atlético hit back quickly with a Marcos Llorente shot from a counterattack two minutes later.

Atlético’s goalkeeper Jan Oblak failed to clear a cross in the 37th minute and his mistake led to the ball deflecting off the back of the captain Koke and into the net. The forward Alexander Sørloth, making his debut for Atlético after an outstanding season for Villarreal as their top scorer, found the equaliser with a towering header six minutes into first-half added time.

João Félix was left out of the Atlético squad. The Portugal forward is reportedly closing in on a move to Chelsea after a £42m fee was agreed between the clubs.