Abdoulay Konko scored twice as Sevilla bounced back from recent Supercup and Champions League losses to open its Spanish league campaign with a 4-1 win against promoted Levante Saturday.
Levante went ahead when Ruben Suarez scored from the penalty spot in the 10th after Luca Cigarini handled the ball.
Sevilla responded two minutes later as defender Konko joined an attacking move to sweep the ball into the net as it rebounded off the upright.
Alvaro Negredo put the visitors in the lead in the 28th with a penalty after David “Cerra” Cerrajeria brought Diego Perotti down on the edge of the area.
In the 62nd, Konko ran onto Renato’s pass and placed the ball past goalkeeper Gustavo Munua and Renato completed the rout two minutes from the final whistle.
Earlier, Joaquin Sanchez scored twice as Valencia beat Malaga 3-1, and Athletic Bilbao beat promoted Hercules 1-0 on the first day of action of the Spanish league season.
On Sunday, Barcelona visits Racing Santander and Real Madrid travels to Mallorca.
Sunday’s other games are: Deportivo La Coruna vs. Zaragoza; Espanyol vs. Getafe; Real Sociedad vs. Villarreal; and Osasuna vs. Almeria. On Monday it’s Atletico Madrid vs. Sporting Gijon.
Both teams observed a minute’s silence before the game at Levante’s Ciutat de Valencia Stadium, to mark the third anniversary of the passing of Sevilla player Antonio Puerta, who died after suffering a heart-attack during a game.
Sevilla coach Antonio Alvarez needed a win after losing the Spanish Supercup to Barcelona and being eliminated from the Champions League by Braga and the game was played at a frantic pace.
The lively Negredo nearly scored his second when he just failed to control Jesus Navas’ low cross from the right on the counterattack. Perotti also came close, bursting out of midfield onto the edge of the area before losing control of the ball.
With three points secured, Sevilla eased off the pressure as Frederic Kanoute replaced Negredo and Diego Capel came on for Perotti.
Valencia went ahead in the ninth minute at Malaga’s La Rosaleda Stadium when Aritz Aduriz headed in Ever Banega’s corner.
Sebastian Fernandez equalized just before the break, tapping on a low cross with the inside of his boot and wrongfooting goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez.
Joaquin Sanchez scored his first in the 70th, cutting in from the left and sending a low shot ricocheting off a defender into the net. Four minutes later, he drove the ball home from just inside the area to make sure of victory.
With David Villa having left for Barcelona in the summer, Aduriz led Valencia’s attack supported by Juan Manuel Mata.
Malaga ‘keeper Francesc Arnau kept his team in the game in the first half as Valencia created a handful of clear chances. He stopped a Banega shot in the 26th before rushing out to save from Mata, who was set up by a long through pass from Sanchez 10 minutes later.
However, though Valencia had more opportunities, it struggled to assert its authority for the first hour against a side which battled against relegation last season.
Malaga’s Eliseu Pereira shot high soon after the restart and Salomon Rondon drew a superb one-handed save from Sanchez minutes later as he headed Quincy Owusu Abeyie’s cross from close range.
In the final half hour Valencia made its superiority felt and Malaga had no answer to the visitors’ second-half goals.
In the early game, Bilbao’s Fernando Llorente drifted away from his marker at a free kick in the 46th minute and scored with a glancing header.
Thirteen years after its last topflight appearance, Hercules took control early on at its Jose Rico Perez Stadium. Sendoa Aguirre went close in the 18th and Javier Portillo had a shot saved by Gorka Iraizoz three minutes later.
In the 67th, Portillo came close again, with an attempted lob, although the hosts could not muster an equalizer.
Injuries to Gaizka Toquero and Igor Gabilondo meant Bilbao had to substitute both players.
Hercules’ Matias Fritzler was sent off in injury time for a second yellow card.