Brett Holman's tough introduction to life in the Barclays Premier League continued but his club, Aston Villa, picked up their first point of the season.
Brett Holman's tough introduction to life in the Barclays Premier League continued but his club, Aston Villa, picked up their first point of the season.
The 28-year-old Qantas Socceroo was to blame for Newcastle United's equaliser in the 1-1 draw, failing to close down Hatem Ben Arfa, whose right-foot piledriver is surely one of the early candidates for goal of the season.
He later compounded the error by picking up a yellow card for a late tackle. Chris Herd missed the match.
But he wasn't the only Aussie to struggle over the weekend. veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer let in three first-half goals in the 3-1 defeat to West Ham United at Upton Park.
In Germany, Nikita Rukavytsya, who has been recalled to the Socceroos squad for the upcoming double-header in Lebanon and Jordan, has joined Bundesliga club FSV Mainz in a deadline-day deal.
The 25-year-old spent the last two seasons with recently-relegated Bundesliga Two outfit Hertha Berlin.
Manager Christian Heidel was looking forward to the pacy striker joining the club.
"We are pleased that the transfer has now succeeded," he said on the club's website.
"Rukavytsya is an incredibly fast offensive player on the flanks, which will give us more flexibility in attack. He moves deftly into goalscoring areas and sets up his teammates very well."
Meanwhile, Robbie Kruse continues to impress for Bundesliga newcomers Fortuna Dusseldorf.
Kruse, who will also link up withr Holger Osieck's squad in the Middle East over the next seven days, looked lively up front in the 0-0 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Mathew Leckie, who has been loaned to Bundesliga Two outfit FSV Frankfurt, is enjoying life near the top of the table. His new club have won three of their first four games.
Leckie scored in the second game of the season against Hertha Berlin.
In Italy, James Troisi was an unused substitute for Atalanta in their 1-1 Serie A draw with Cagliari.
In England's nPower Championship, Mile Jedinak's Crystal Palace finally opened their account with a 2-1 success over Sheffield Wednesday. It was their first win in four games.
Shane Lowry picked a yellow card as his side, Millwall, proved to strong for Middlesbrough with a 3-1 win, while Scott McDonald didn't feature for Boro.
In Austria, James Holland's Austria Wien continued their great start to the Austrian Bundesliga with a 2-0 win over Wiener Neustadt. They now have six wins from seven games.
In Japan, Jade North received a late yellow card as his side, Consadole Sapporo, fell 2-0 at home to Shimizu S-Pulse.