It never rains but it pours in Granada

Sunday's late Liga games brought contrasting fortunes to one team in need of a victory and one coach who required a performance from his charges to quell growing unrest from the stands.

Granada, in 19th place before its match against visitor Mallorca, fell behind to a first-half Víctor Castaño strike that left few inside the Nuevo Los Cármenes confident of witnessing Granada's second home win of the season. But in the second period Brazilian defender Siquiera finished an attack along Granada's left flank with a driven left-footed effort before Carlos Martins - whose son, it was announced last week, needs an urgent bone marrow transplant - brought home and away fans to their feet in applause with a splendid solo effort to swing momentum Granada's way with just over half an hour left.

And then, three minutes later, the game was suspended after an umbrella launched from the crowd struck linesman Javier Aguilar Rodríguez, opening up a wound on his face and forcing Carlos Clos Gómez, the match referee, to order the players from the field. It later transpired that the umbrella may have been accidently deployed when its owner, a 15-year-old ward of the Andalusia regional government, was waving it in anger at a decision against the home side, causing it to break and collide with the official.

In any case, Granada is likely to face a fine and the match will have to be completed - behind closed doors - with 29 minutes on the clock. The Liga Competition Committee is due to meet on Tuesday to decide how to schedule the unfinished match.

At the Vicente Calderón there were also umbrellas aplenty, although the parapluies on this occasion were in full bloom to keep spectators dry while the goals rained in on the field. It wasn't until almost 70 minutes had elapsed that summer signing Pizzi opened his Atlético account. Five minutes beforehand José Antonio Reyes took the field for the first time since hurling his toys from his pram after being substituted against Athletic almost a month ago. Practically his first act was the through ball for Pizzi's strike, and he played a part in Atlético's second, which the evolving Adrián netted to make it 2-1 after Xavi Torres had leveled the affair.

Another of Atleti's new recruits, Diego, made it 3-1 in the dying stages with Rubén Suárez adding a late goal to embellish the score line a touch.

"I'm very happy that Reyes played a part in the victory," said Atlético coach Gregorio Manzano, who will be equally pleased that, for now at least, the Atlético support has stopped chanting the name of Luis Aragonés at home matches.