Barca Held, Real Madrid Win In La Liga Opening Weekend

Barca held, Real Madrid win in La Liga opening weekend (Image Source: IANS)

UEFA Europa League: FC Barcelona were held to a goalless draw by Getafe in their La Liga debut on Sunday evening.

Both sides finished with 10 players, after Raphinha's dismissal for elbowing Getafe defender Gaston Alvarez in the first half, while Getafe's Jaime Mata received a red card after the interval, reports Xinhua.

Barca's coach, Xavi Hernandez, was also shown the red card due to his apparent discontent with Getafe's fouling and time-wasting tactics. This frustration was evident as the referee added a whopping 10 minutes of added time in the first half and over 15 in the second. That period culminated with VAR dismissing what seemed a valid Barcelona penalty appeal.

Real Madrid secured a 2-0 victory against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, thanks to first-half goals from Rodrygo and debutant Jude Bellingham. Rodrygo utilized open space to score in the 28th minute, followed by Bellingham's goal from a corner, despite mishitting his shot, which fortuitously looped over Athletic's keeper Unai Simon.

However, Madrid's triumph was overshadowed by Eder Militao's knee ligament injury revelation, coming just days after Thibaut Courtois was confirmed to be out for the season with a similar issue.

Willian Jose's dramatic 95th-minute header earned Betis a win at Villarreal. With assistance from newcomer Isco, Ayoze Perez netted in the 20th minute. Jorge Cuenca equalized with a 61st-minute header, but it was the Brazilian striker who sealed the victory for Betis.

A late header from new signing Artem Dovbyk ensured Girona shared points with Real Sociedad, who had initially led with Takefusa Kubo's fifth-minute goal.

Osasuna's two goals from Ruben Garcia and Moi Gomez spoiled Rafael Benitez's managerial debut for Celta Vigo, sealing a 2-0 victory at Balaidos Stadium.

Las Palmas, marking their La Liga return, drew 1-1 with Mallorca. Jonathan Viera scored with a 29th-minute penalty, and despite Vedat Muriqi's missed penalty for Mallorca, Antonio Railio ensured a draw with a goal in the 70th minute.

Rayo Vallecano, under new coach Francisco Rodriguez, had an excellent start, beating Almeria 2-0 on Friday evening, thanks to penalties from Isi Palazon and Nteka.

In a surprise result, Valencia outplayed Sevilla 2-1 on Friday. Despite their transfer inactivity, Valencia managed to claim the victory against the UEFA Europa League champions, with Mouctar Diakhaby and Javi Guerra's late goal after Sevilla went down to 10 men.

Atletico Madrid will play Granada, and Alaves are set to face Cadiz in Monday's fixtures.