Schalke's Statement Win, Fiorentina's Hat Trick, and West Ham's Dominance

Same points, very different mood.

Schalke and Union Berlin both came into Friday with a single point from their opening two Bundesliga games. By full time, the newly promoted side walked away with a statement 3-1 win, a standout display from Loris Karius and a refereeing subplot that summed up the drama of the night.

Robin Gosens lit the fuse. His angled volley, struck cleanly and early, gave Schalke the lead and instantly changed the tone inside the stadium. Union looked rattled. Schalke smelled weakness.

Seconds after the restart, they punished it. Adil Aouchiche picked his spot with a superb finish to double the advantage, and from there the pattern was set: Union chasing, Schalke countering, Karius refusing to budge.

The goalkeeper, named player of the match, spent much of the second half repelling Berlin’s efforts, reading crosses, smothering shots, and buying his defence time whenever the pressure cranked up. Union finally pierced him deep into stoppage time, Tim Skarke pulling one back in the sixth minute of added time to offer the faintest hint of late drama.

It lasted barely a heartbeat.

Almost immediately, Maximilian Wober strode forward and restored Schalke’s two-goal cushion with virtually the last kick of the game. Any nerves vanished. The newly promoted side had their first win and a jolt of belief.

The night carried a strange twist in the middle. Early in the second half, referee Timo Gerach signalled he could not continue, complaining of a sore calf. Fourth official Jarno Wienefeld stepped in, taking charge of his first Bundesliga match after experience in Bundesliga 2. The change did nothing to disrupt Schalke’s rhythm. If anything, they looked even more assured as the clock wound down.

Mastantuono’s hat trick lifts Fiorentina off the floor

In Serie A, two winless teams met with the table already starting to weigh on them.

Venezia and Fiorentina had lost all three of their opening games. Someone had to blink.

At first, it was the visitors. The home side struck first when Akor Adams finished neatly with his right foot in the 22nd minute, capping tidy build-up play from American midfielder Gianluca Busio. Venezia had the lead and, briefly, a foothold.

Then Franco Mastantuono tore it away.

In the 29th minute he broke forward and scored. One minute later, in the 30th, he did it again. Two quick, ruthless strikes flipped the game on its head and sent Fiorentina into halftime with a 2-1 lead that felt like a release of weeks of frustration.

The pressure eased completely in the second half. Midway through, Mateo Pellegrino made it 3-1, his second goal in as many games and a finish that underlined his growing confidence.

Mastantuono was not done. Six minutes from time he completed his hat trick, sealing a 4-1 advantage and turning a tense relegation-tinged meeting into a comfortable victory.

Venezia did claw back a late second through Antoine Hainaut, but it changed nothing of substance. The defeat left the home side bottom of the 20-team table, still without a point. Fiorentina climbed to 15th – not glamorous, not secure, but finally moving in the right direction.

Sevilla edge past lifeless Valencia

La Liga offered less spectacle but just as much consequence.

Sevilla’s 1-0 win over Valencia was tight, scrappy and short on clear chances, yet it carried real weight in the standings. The result lifted Sevilla into joint second, while Valencia sank deeper into trouble.

For long stretches, the match drifted. Neither side carved out much, and Valencia’s lack of threat grew more glaring with every passing minute. They finished without a single shot on target.

Sevilla eventually forced a breakthrough with nine minutes left. Giorgi Kochorashvili swung in a deep cross from the left, and Juan Antonio Iglesias met it with a looping header that arced over the goalkeeper and dropped in. One clean moment of quality decided a poor game.

The table told the rest. Valencia remained bottom with just one point from a possible 15, staring at a brutal start and searching for answers that simply are not arriving in the final third.

Rennes hit stride as Marseille stumble

In France, Rennes climbed to the summit.

A 1-0 win over Marseille pushed the Breton club to the top of Ligue 1, one point clear of Monaco, and extended their winning run to three matches. The performance was controlled rather than spectacular, but it did not need to be anything more.

The decisive moment came six minutes into the second half. Adrien Thomasson, a recent signing from Lens, grabbed his first goal for Rennes and with it three precious points. From there, Rennes managed the game with a confidence that suggested a team quickly growing into the season.

For Marseille, the picture darkened again. This was their third straight league defeat and, statistically, their worst start to a Ligue 1 campaign in more than 20 years. They sit 11th with just three points, a position that jars with the club’s expectations and history.

Rennes, by contrast, look upward. Top of the table, momentum building, and early proof that their summer business is already paying off.

West Ham batter Wrexham to take control of the Championship

Back in England, West Ham turned a promotion race into a statement of intent.

They demolished Wrexham 6-0, a scoreline that underlined the gulf on the day and sent West Ham to the top of the Championship table. Six different players found the net, a spread of goals that highlighted the depth and variety in their attack.

The margin of victory mattered. So did the message. By the end, Wrexham were simply hanging on, while West Ham cruised to a result that lifted them a point clear of West Bromwich Albion.

Early days, yes. But nights like this shape seasons – and the teams who delivered on Friday all walked away with the sense that something might just be starting.