Submarine back afloat as Real wins

It may as fleeting as a summer storm, but Villarreal briefly topped La Liga at the weekend after a thumping 0-3 victory at Osasuna that confirmed the Yellow Submarine’s re-emergence as a force to be reckoned with in the first division. The one-sided affair, in which the visitor proved superior in every facet of play, also confirmed that this season will be a long and thankless one for Osasuna, which has always struggled for goals but now seems to have mislaid its stubbornness at the back in El Sadar, its traditional saving grace. Catcalls from the stands at this early stage aimed at coach José Luis Mendilibar do not bode well for the rest of Osasuna’s campaign.

Promoted straight back from Segunda after a single season in the wilderness, Villarreal has a perfect three-from-three record, scoring eight and conceding just three. In Pamplona, the signs were that far from merely achieving its primary goal of not being dragged into a relegation fight, Marcelino García’s slick side can aspire to considerably more in a division significantly weaker than when it was last one of its 20 components.

Of course, the litmus test to which all teams must apply themselves is a game against either Real Madrid or Barcelona, and after a solid start Athletic was handed a dose of reality in the Bernabéu in Sunday’s early kick-off. Real had looked far from polished under new coach Carlo Ancelotti in its opening games against Betis and Granada, but has still managed to obtain a full complement of points.

Facing, on paper, it stiffest examination so far, Real rose to the occasion with two goals from Isco and one from the head of Cristiano Ronaldo, the prolific Portuguese’s first of the season. Athletic denied Real a clean sheet through Ibai Gómez’s late strike but the good work of Luka Modric, Isco and Ángel di María across the midfield suggested that Ancelotti’s blueprint is starting to taking shape.

Let’s not be blinded by the result; we were magnificent”

New arrivals Almería and Elche squared off at the former’s Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, where a familiar storyline unfolded. Leading 2-1 and deep into second half stoppage time, Richmond Boakye was found suspiciously on the penalty spot and hammered home a low drive to earn Elche another valuable point and deny Almería a win for the third time in as many games.

“Today was unjust again, because of the hard work everybody put in. The final second, and offside... It’s tough, but we have to carry on,” said Almería coach Francisco Rodríguez after watching his side concede at the 11th hour once again.

In one of the weekend’s 11pm kick-offs, Rayo Vallecano suffered a similar fate at its Estadio de Vallecas, conceding to Levante in the 94th minute. Despite having the upper hand for most of the match — Levante coach Joaquín Caparrós admitted goalkeeper Keylor Navas had kept his side in contention — and besieging the opposition goal, the visitor hit on the break and swept upfield, allowing new Austrian striker Andres Ivanschitz to open his account for the club. “Let’s not be blinded by the result,” said Rayo coach Paco Jémez. “We were magnificent.”

Also off the mark collectively is Valladolid after a 1-0 win over Getafe, which looks a pale imitation of the giant-killer of old and now sits in the relegation zone after picking up a single point in three matches. Marc Valiente scored the decisive goal to ease a little pressure on his coach, Juan Ignacio Martínez, who has a tough act to follow after the exploits of Miroslav Djukic, who left for Valencia in the summer.

Other results: Celta 1-1 Granada; Espanyol 0-0 Betis.