Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski said he was proud of his team's performance in a 2-1 comeback win at Valencia in their LaLiga season opener on Saturday, and he praised his side's youngsters who started in place of several injured players.
With Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri, Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Frenkie De Jong all out, new manager Hansi Flick gave 20-year-old academy midfielder Marc Casado his senior debut, playing alongside three 17-year-olds in Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Marc Bernal.
Nevertheless, Barca showed enough strength to fight back and win thanks to a Lewandowski brace.
"It was very important to start with a win in such a difficult stadium and with the problems we faced," Lewandowski told Movistar Plus.
"We didn't play well for the first 20 to 25 minutes. In the first half we had problems to get close to their box but then we started playing much better and we did it with three or four very young players.
"If you can win like this with such young players it is something special and they have shown a big potential. No signs of the lack of experience, they played very well with possession and without the ball. We could have won by a larger margin, but it's great to start the season with a win."
Neymar scored for the first time in 16 months after his penalty set Santos on the way to a 3-1 win over Agua Santa in the Paulista Championship on Sunday and the Brazil forward said he was happy to be playing again after a long injury absence.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, attended the fourth stage of the Al Salam Cycling Championship, which took place on Sunday at Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim insists there is no running away from the club's plight after they suffered a 1-0 loss at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, their 12th defeat in 25 Premier League games this season.
British debutant Emma Raducanu got her Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships campaign off to the perfect start, defeating former World Number 3 Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-2 under the lights on Centre Court.