<p style="text-align: justify;">After coming back from a fortnight's hiatus due to International matches, the second week of <em>La Liga</em> action witnessed some shockers. <em>Real Madrid</em> scored their first win, <em>Valencia</em> and <em>Atletico</em> continued their winning forms while promoted side <em>Hercules</em> shocked the entire nation by beating the <em>Spanish Champions</em> at their own porch. Here’s a round-up of all the action that happened in the ‘<em>Iberian</em>’ nation over the weekend. </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">La Liga Week-2 Results:</span></span></strong> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Barcelona 0-2 Hercules</em> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Valencia 1-0 Racing Santander</em> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Real Madrid 1-0 Osasuna</em> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Athletic Bilbao 1-2 Atletico Madrid</em> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Getafe 4-1 Levante</em> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Sporting Gijon 2-0 Mallorca</em> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Real Zaragoza 3-5 Malaga</em> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Villareal 4-0 Espanyol</em> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Sevilla 0-0 Deportivo La Coruna</em> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Almeria 2-2 Real Sociedad </em> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong> </strong></span> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Hercules? Yes, indeed!</span></strong></span> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/48596/barcelona-vs-hercules/report" target="_blank">Hercules</a></strong><a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/48596/barcelona-vs-hercules/report" target="_blank"> truly lived up to their namesake by putting up a heroic performance against the Spanish Champions </a><strong><a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/48596/barcelona-vs-hercules/report" target="_blank">Barcelona</a></strong><a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/48596/barcelona-vs-hercules/report" target="_blank"> at the Camp Nou</a>. <em>Paraguay</em> international <em>Nelson Valdez</em> scored two goals – one in the 26th minute and the other on the 58th minute mark to hand <em>Barcelona</em> their first home defeat in league matches after long 16 months. What was even more impressive was the fact that <em>Hercules</em> were seldom troubled by the tremendous <em>Barcelona</em> strike force. Three well deserved points and their first win of the campaign at the <em>Camp Nou</em> was something they could’ve never even dreamt of. </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> Stuck in Serie-A mode</span></strong></span> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/48593/real-madrid-vs-osasuna/report" target="_blank">While </a><strong><a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/48593/real-madrid-vs-osasuna/report" target="_blank">Real Madrid</a></strong><a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/48593/real-madrid-vs-osasuna/report" target="_blank"> took all three points</a> against an incapable <strong>Osasuna</strong> with a lone goal from a rather unlikely source in Carvalho, the game clearly suggested that “The Special One” is still stuck in the Serie A mode. Madrid did produce some beautiful plays – Mesut Ozil at the heart of every one of them, but are still very far behind the form they are expected to be in. Higuain misfired, Ronaldo was hapless, Benzema was sleepy, Ozil was slick, Khedira was strong, Ricardo (Osasuna’s GK) was exceptional, and the rest of the Osasuna players were more than happy to lose only by a 1-0 margin at the Bernabeu. That sums up a rather boring game in a surprisingly gloomy atmosphere at the Bernabeu. Perhaps, they were saving their voices for Wednesday to intimidate Ajax. </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/real-madrid-coach-jose/image/9732522?term=real+madrid" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://view4.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9732522/real-madrid-coach-jose/real-madrid-coach-jose.jpg?size=380&imageId=9732522" border="0" alt="Real Madrid's coach Jose Mourinho gestures before their Spanish first division match against Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid,September 11, 2010. REUTERS/Juan Medina (SPAIN - Tags: SPORT SOCCER)" width="380" height="243" /></a></span></strong></span><em>Mourinho: Still in the Serie A Mould</em> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Six points in the bag</strong></span></span> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Valencia</em> and <em>Atletico</em> both won their matches against <em>Racing</em> and <em>Bilbao</em> respectively to make it two wins in a row and secured six out of possible six points in the two games played. <a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/48597/valencia-vs-racing/report" target="_blank">Valencia ran out winners at the Mestella after Maduro headed home</a> to score the only goal of the game in first half injury time. <em>Los Che</em> were fortunate not to concede a goal to <em>Racing Santander</em>, even as the latter tried very hard to take their first points of the season. Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2010/09/11/2114201/athletic-bilbao-1-2-atletico-madrid-forlan-and-tiago-put" target="_blank">Atletico Madrid marched on to the top of the table with an impressive win at a hostile San Mames against Atletico Bilbao</a>. It was all too comfortable for <em>Atletico</em> as they went two goals up – <em>Forlan and Tiago</em> helping them in the goal scoring department. <em>Llorente</em> found one back in the 88th minute for the hosts, but it was a case of too little too late for <em>Bilbao</em> as Atletico took the full three points even as <em>Aguero </em>suffered an injury. </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong> Minnows march on</strong></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=301818&cc=4716" target="_blank">Sporting Gijon upset the high flying Mallorca</a><a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=301818&cc=4716" target="_blank"> by condemning them to a shock 2-0 defeat at El Molinon</a>. <em>Mallorca </em>started the game as favorites after their impressive draw against mighty <em>Madrid</em> a fortnight ago. <em>Gijon</em> had a disastrous opening game where they were thumped 4-0 by <em>Atletico, </em>but that didn’t stop them as they ran out deserved winners. <em>Alberto Botia</em> gave them the lead only minutes into the second half. <em>Mallorca</em> struggled to make an impact and <em>Diego Castro</em> put the final nail in the coffin by scoring neatly from just outside the box. Three very important points for <em>Sporting</em> considering the fact that they travel through a bumpy road where they have to face the likes of <em>Bilbao, Barca, and Valencia. </em> </p> <div><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"> </span></strong></span></span></span></div> <div><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">“La Roma-RAID-a” and goals galore elsewhere</span></span></strong> </span></span></span></div> <div><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></span></span></div> <div><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6Wb4xZkX-xA" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6Wb4xZkX-xA"></embed></object></span></span></span></div> <p style="text-align: justify;"> <div><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></span></span></div> <div> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;"><a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=302118&league=ESP.1&cc=4716" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Getafe taught relegation favorites Levante</span></a><a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=302118&league=ESP.1&cc=4716" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> a footballing lesson</span></a><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> </span>by beating them 4-1. <em>Gavilan</em> gave <em>Getafe</em> the lead after five minutes when he headed home a sharp <em>Manu</em> cross. <em>Adrian Colunga</em> doubled the tally by slotting home a beautifully threaded through pass from ex-Real youth teamer <em>Pedro Mosquera</em>. <em>Levante</em> pulled one back through <em>Jorda,</em> but the rout would continue as <em>Gavilan</em> made it a brace for himself and <em>Arizmendi</em> scored in injury time to give <em>Getafe</em> their first points of the season.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/48591/villarreal-vs-espanyol/report" target="_blank">Villarreal scored the first win of their campaign when they ran ragged a hopeless Espanoyal</a> side at <em>El Madrigal</em>. <em>Espanyol </em>dominated the first 20 minutes, but that was all they did as <em>Rossi</em> gave “<em>The Yellow Submarine</em>” the lead in the 23rd minute. Ten minutes later <em>Vallero </em>made it 2-0 as <em>Espanyol</em> struggled to respond. <em>Rossi </em>made it 3-0 and was followed by <em>Nilmar</em> to complete a total nightmare for the <em>Catalans</em>. </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=822650&cc=4716" target="_blank">Malaga raided the walls of La Romareda as they put on a show by scoring five times in a highly entertaining game</a> – all within the first 35 minutes. <em>Fernando</em> gave the visitors the lead after only two minutes. <em>Juanmi </em>made it two nil as <em>Real Zaragoza</em> were left scratching their heads. That effect was compounded when <em>Juanmi and Fernando</em> added two more to leave the hosts shocked in what was a complete rout. The score line read 5-0 to the visitors when <em>Abeyie</em> ran clear behind the <em>Zaragoza </em>defence and scored emphatically. <em>Zaragoza</em> got back to make the scoreboard look a little more respectable by scoring three goals, one each from <em>Edmilson, Perez, and Herrera,</em> although they knew a comeback would be impossible and the final score read an astonishing 3-5 in favor of <em>Malaga</em>. They left the stadium by gaining their first points of the season in some style. </p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong> <strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Sevilla held to a goalless draw</span></span></strong></strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/48589/sevilla-vs-deportivo/report" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff;">The <em>Ramon Sanchez Pizuan</em> yawned and grew restless as Sevilla struggled to find a breakthrough against a highly resistant Deportivo La Coruna side</span></a><span style="color: #000000;">. Goalkeeper <em>Manu </em>was the standout performer as he thwarted off attack after attack from <em>Sevilla</em>. <em>Negredo</em> had the best opportunity in the first half when he was served with a delicious cross from <em>Perotti</em>, but the ex-<em>Real Madrid</em> man’s effort bounced off the crossbar. <em>Manu</em> made superb saves of efforts from <em>Perotti</em>, <em>Caceres, and Jose Carlos</em>. <em>Sevilla</em>’s luckless night continued when <em>Konko</em> hit the crossbar again as the game ended in a stalemate goalless draw. <em>Deportivo</em> never really created any chance and will be more than happy with the one point they acquired in <em>Seville</em>.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"> So that rounds up what was a very entertaining second week in the <em>Spanish league</em>. Some routine wins, a few shocks, but as always, plenty of goals and the everlasting attractive football.</span></p> </div>