Soccer PIX: Atletico held; Juve off to winning start

Villarreal hold Atletico Madrid to a draw

Atletico Madrid fought back twice to earn a point from an entertaining 2-2 draw at Villarreal in their LaLiga season opener on Monday.

Diego Simeone's Atleti started well and had a Reinildo Mandava goal ruled out for offside, then created a couple of chances with Samuel Lino who was denied by inspired Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Alcoado.

However, it was the locals who scored first when forward Arnaut Danjuma beat defender Axel Witsel to collect a long pass from Alcoado and netted from close range in the 18th minute.

Atletico hit back quickly on the counter-attack two minutes later when Marcos Llorente sped unmarked into the box and unleashed an unstoppable strike into the top corner of the net.

Lino hit the post in the 35th minute and Villarreal took advantage of a bad mistake by Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak when he failed to clear a cross in the 37th minute and the ball deflected off the back of Atletico captain Koke and into the net.

Forward Alexander Sorloth, making his debut for Atletico after an outstanding season for Villarreal as their top scorer, found the equaliser with a towering header six minutes into first-half added time from a Pablo Barrios cross from the right touchline.

In fierce, summer temperatures at La Ceramica on the east coast of Spain, both sides took it easier in the second half and the match lost the relentless intensity it had seen early on.

Neither side got a shot on target after the break, with Villarreal substitute Nicolas Pepe having the best chance from a free kick and hitting the crossbar in the 82nd minute.

It was a lacklustre debut for Argentina forward Julian Alvarez who came off the bench to play the last 15 minutes but had little time to show why Atletico paid Manchester City more than 75 million euros ($83.15 million) for his services.

Atletico will make their home debut on Sunday against last season's surprise package Girona while Villarreal will play their second game of the season at Sevilla on Friday.

Motta steers Juve to 3-0 win against Como on debut

New 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, sparking turnaround hopes at the Turin-based club.

Forward Samuel Mbangula and winger Timothy Weah netted inside the first half, both 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 Fabregas, 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.

Juventus, who finished third behind Inter and Milan last season to secure their return to the Champions League following a year's absence, next travel to Hellas Verona on Aug. 26.

Como visit Cagliari earlier that day.