La Liga action round-up - Week 1 - August 29/30/31, 2009
Wednesday 02 September 2009
After a summer of intense drama and excitement, all eyes were on the Bernabéu as Real Madrid took on Deportivo La Coruña in the opening fixture of the 2009/10 Primera Liga campaign. Despite the six debutants in Madrid’s all-new Galactic line-up, it was captain Raul who put the Los Blancos ahead, tapping into an empty net after Karim Benzema’s strike rebounded off the post. Deportivo striker Riki rose unchallenged to equalize for the visitors within five minutes, but Madrid were ahead again before the break courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty - the £80m signing’s only contribution of note in a mediocre debut display. A cool finish from Valerón pulled Deportivo level again within a minute of the restart, but Lassana Diarra restored Madrid’s lead in the 59th minute with a trademark thunderbolt from the edge of the box. There was no further reply from the visitors - the third goal enough to give Manuel Pellegrini’s men a deserved win and three invaluable points.
Away from the drama in Madrid, Barcelona took a somewhat subdued, albeit successful, approach to the new season. Enjoying 74% possession in the first half of their opening encounter with Sporting Gijón, the Spanish and European Champions led 2-0 at the break courtesy of two goals from corner-kicks, scored by the increasingly talented Bojan and Seydou Keita. New arrival Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed home from close range in the 82nd minute, capping off a convincing display from the Catalans who were without stars Leo Messi, Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta.
Valencia may not have played any part in this week’s Champions League draw, but their domestic campaign started with a victory as they beat Sevilla 2-0 at the Estadio De Mestalla. An uneventful first half came to life as Sevilla’s Frederic Kanoute saw red for a second bookable offence, before Mata - Valencia’s star performer last season - put Los Che ahead in the 47th minute. Pablo doubled the home side’s lead with 10 minutes to go, securing a vital win over their rivals for next season’s coveted Champions League qualification places.
While Sevilla toiled in Valencia, another Champions League group stage qualifier fell victim to domestic defeat. Despite early pressure, Atlético Madrid slumped to a 3-0 loss at Málaga, who look to maintain their rich form in La Liga following last season’s 8th placed finish. Villareal travelled to Osasuna and, despite taking the lead through a deflected Santi Cazorla strike in the 33rd minute, managed just a point after former Birmingham striker Walter Pandiani equalised for the home side less than five minutes after the opener.
Getafe are league leaders courtesy of a shock 4-1 victory at Racing Santander. Roberto Soldado scored the first hat-trick of the campaign after Rafa put the visitors ahead in the 12th minute. Gaizka Toquero’s late strike gave Athletic Bilbao an opening-day 1-0 victory over Espanyol, while Mallorca defeated newly-promoted Xerez 2-0 - the Andlusian side finishing their first ever Primera Liga match with nine men following the dismissals of Leandro Gioda and Carlos Calvo. An unconvincing Zaragoza were 1-0 victors against fellow new arrivals Tenerife, while Almeria’s encounter with Valladolid was the only fixture not to feature goals.
Full results
Saturday August 29, 2009
Real Madrid 3-2 Deportivo
Real Zaragoza 1-0 Tenerife
Sunday August 30, 2009
Almeria 0-0 Valladolid
Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Espanyol
Malaga 3-0 Atletico Madrid
Mallorca 2-0 Xerez
Osasuna 1-1 Villarreal
Racing Santander 1-4 Getafe
Valencia 2-0 Sevilla
Monday August 31, 2009
Barcelona 3-0 Sporting Gijon
La Liga action round-ups
Week 1 - August 29/30/31, 2009
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