Southampton's return to competitive football following the infamous 'Spygate' scandal proved painful, as the club suffered a 2-1 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road in their opening Championship fixture of the season.
Tonda Eckert's side, banished from the play-offs in May over the espionage affair, found little respite from a hostile atmosphere both on the pitch and in the stands, where fans made their feelings known throughout the contest. Watford's players, under new manager Alessio Dionisi, matched the occasion with relentless intensity, overwhelming Southampton with pressing and energy from the opening whistle.
The breakthrough arrived courtesy of a Southampton mistake. Jack Stephens' loose clearance fell straight into the path of summer recruit Iker Bravo, and the 21-year-old Spaniard, signed from Udinese, wasted no time in driving forward before slotting the ball home. The goal eased the tension that had built around Vicarage Road following a turbulent build-up to the campaign, which included the sale of winger Nestory Irankunda to Sporting Lisbon and the exclusion of former captain Imran Louza after he once again requested to leave the club.
Energized by Bravo's opener, Watford continued to threaten. Othmane Maamma forced a save from Southampton goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, who was called into action again soon after when Peretz blocked an effort from Omar Traore following a clever reverse pass by teenage academy graduate Amin Nabizada.
Nabizada, however, would not be denied for long. Capitalizing on another sloppy pass from Southampton's Ryan Manning, the youngster raced into the box and appeared to have overrun the ball before firing a precise low finish into the far corner to double Watford's advantage.
The first half was also marked by discipline issues, with five yellow cards shown in a combative opening 45 minutes. Watford's supporters rose to applaud their team off the pitch at the interval, reflecting the enthusiasm surrounding Dionisi's revamped squad.
Southampton responded better after the break and pulled a goal back when Cameron Bragg threaded a pass through to Cyle Larin. The Canadian striker made no mistake from close range, beating new Watford goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia to reduce the deficit.
The visitors continued to push for an equalizer, and Ravaglia was forced into a smart reaction save moments later to deny Larin's sweeping volley. At the other end, Watford nearly restored their two-goal cushion when Bravo looked poised to score again, only for Manning to produce a superb sliding challenge to block the effort.
Southampton laid siege to the Watford goal in the closing stages but could not find a leveler. Taylor Harwood-Bellis, one of the players singled out by opposing supporters over the Spygate controversy, was jeered by Watford players after firing a stoppage-time chance well wide, missing what proved to be the visitors' best opportunity to salvage a point.
The result means Southampton begin their Championship campaign with defeat, still shadowed by the fallout from last season's controversy, while Watford's new-look side under Dionisi opened with a morale-boosting victory in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
Based on reporting from Independent (football).