A lethargic-looking Barcelona were held to a 0-0 draw by 10-man Racing Santander in their opening match of the season yesterday.
The Catalan side, who spent over €65 million on new players - including France striker Thierry Henry, who started on the bench - during the close season, were outplayed by their opponents who are one of the lowest spenders in the Primera Liga.
Real Madrid got their title defence off to a winning start when a deflected shot by new signing Wesley Sneijder earned a 2-1 comeback victory over city rivals Atletico at the Bernabeu on Saturday. Sergio Aguero put Atletico ahead inside a minute of the start. Raul equalised within 15 minutes.
Sevilla had a 4-1 comeback win over Getafe on Saturday thanks to second-half goals from Jesus Navas, Luis Fabiano, Frederic Kanoute and Alexander Kerzhakov.
Former Manchester United striker Giuseppe Rossi scored a penalty as Villarreal beat nine-man Valencia 3-0 away last night while Real Valladolid won 1-0 at Espanyol 1-0.
