Inter Milan wasted no time reminding everyone why they are the team to beat in Serie A, dismantling Monza 4-1 in a ruthless Matchday 1 display. The Nerazzurri were clinical from start to finish, offering newly promoted and modest opponents zero room to breathe. It was the kind of statement that sets the tone for a title defense, and the rest of the league will have taken note.

Across in Ligue 1, Lens delivered the day's most entertaining spectacle, hammering Auxerre 5-2 in a seven-goal thriller. Florian Thauvin grabbed a brace to underline his enduring quality, while Michal Skoras earned the highest rating on the pitch at 8.6 with a performance full of menace and creativity. Lens look like genuine contenders for a European spot if this opening salvo is anything to go by.

In Serie A's other fixtures, Napoli secured a comfortable 2-0 win at Genoa, with defender Amir Rrahmani producing a colossal defensive effort — 12 clearances — to anchor a clean sheet. Cagliari also opened with three points thanks to Alessandro Romano's solitary goal in a 1-0 victory at Parma, the forward earning an 8.1 rating for his decisive contribution. Udinese and Como, meanwhile, played out a 1-1 draw in a more measured affair.

Ligue 1's opening day was a mixed bag beyond the Lens fireworks. Lyon cruised to a 2-0 win at Toulouse, keeping a clean sheet in a controlled away performance. Le Mans and Brest shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw where creativity was on full display — Joris Chotard and Kenny Lala each delivered four key passes, while Ludovic Ajorque peppered the goal with seven shots without finding a winner. In the day's tighter encounters, Nice and Lorient played out a goalless draw in which Sofiane Diop was the creative spark with four key passes but lacked a finishing touch, and Troyes held Paris to 0-0 as Diego Coppola marshalled the backline with an imposing 10 clearances.

With over 20 goals scored across two leagues on Matchday 1, the new season has arrived with attacking intent and defensive resolve in equal measure. Inter and Lens have laid down early markers, but it is the individual performances — Thauvin's finishing, Rrahmani's brick-wall defending, and Romano's match-winning instinct — that will linger as the campaigns take shape. Matchday 2 promises more answers about which sides can sustain this early momentum.