David Beckham's magnificent 16th-minute free-kick earned Real Madrid a 1-0 victory in what was an otherwise disappointing display against newly-promoted Numancia last night.
The England captain celebrated his 50th appearance in a Madrid shirt by scoring direct from a free-kick for the first time at the Bernabeu.
Valencia displayed the tenacious qualities which carried them to the Primera Liga title last season by storming back from two goals down to salvage a point and a 2-2 draw with Athletic Bilbao.
An Ismael Urzaiz header and an Andoni Iraola penalty gave the Basques a 2-0 lead before Marco Di Vaio and Miguel Angel Angulo restored parity for Claudio
Ranieri's side.
In the evening match, Barcelona beat Sevilla 2-0 at the Nou Camp with goals from two of their close-season signings, Ludovic Giuly and Henrik Larsson.