Barcelona delivered a dominant 5-0 victory at Elche while Sevilla moved to the top of La Liga after matchday two of the Spanish season.
Reigning champions Barcelona produced a commanding display despite playing without a traditional center-forward, powered by two goals and an assist from Brazilian winger Raphinha at the Martinez Valero stadium.
Following the performance, broadcaster Dani Senabre said on radio network COPE that Barcelona is the best team in the league by far over the second-placed side.
The Sunday debate panel on the Tiempo de Juego program, hosted by Paco Gonzalez, Manolo Lama and Juanma Castano, highlighted the weekend action alongside debates over Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.
Barcelona thrash Elche and Sevilla lead table
Sevilla sit atop the La Liga table after securing a 3-1 away victory against Athletic Club at San Mames on Saturday, giving them a perfect six points from six available.
The Andalusian club has recorded its best start to a league season in four years. Sevilla failed to win any of their opening two fixtures in the 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 campaigns.
The last time Sevilla started with consecutive victories was in the 2021-22 season, when they also held first place after the second matchday.
Barcelona's five-goal victory featured a starring role from Raphinha, who provided the assist for Karim Adeyemi to score the second goal before adding two goals of his own, including a penalty. Midfielder Fermin Lopez completed the scoring with the fourth and fifth goals for the visitors.
Real Madrid win late as Espi debuts
Real Madrid secured a late 2-1 victory away against Espanyol thanks to an immediate impact from newcomer Carlos Espi.
Entering the match as a substitute with barely ten minutes remaining, Espi scored the decisive winning goal in his first appearance for the Spanish giants since joining from Levante.
The striker extended a remarkable personal scoring record, having now scored 11 goals in his last 14 league matches across the end of last season and the start of the current campaign.
Hostile return for Alvarez at Atletico Madrid
Argentine forward Julian Alvarez made his return for Atletico Madrid during a 2-2 home draw against Villarreal at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Alvarez came off the bench in the 66th minute, marking his first appearance at Atletico's home ground in three months and 24 days following an ankle sprain suffered against Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals.
However, the forward was greeted with loud jeers and whistles from the home supporters due to his publicly expressed desire to transfer to Barcelona.
Mariano Diaz shines while Rayo face low turnout
Former Real Madrid striker Mariano Diaz scored for Alaves in a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano at the Butarque stadium in Leganes.
Diaz has now contributed to all four goals scored by Alaves this season, netting twice and assisting twice across the opening two matchdays following a goal and two assists in a 3-0 opening win over Getafe.
The match at Butarque was attended by just 4,280 spectators during Rayo Vallecano's temporary exile in southern Madrid. The stadium holds 14,000 fans, while Rayo possesses 12,500 registered club members.
Betis maintain unbeaten streak as Sociedad struggle
Real Betis began their league campaign with a 1-0 home victory over Real Sociedad, with Rodrigo Riquelme scoring the lone goal.
The result extends Betis' unbeaten home record in La Liga throughout 2026. The Seville-based side has not lost at home since a 5-3 defeat against Barcelona on December 6, 2025, recording seven wins and five draws since then.
Conversely, Real Sociedad's away form continues to suffer, with the club now winless in seven consecutive league matches on the road. The Basque side has won only three of its last 20 away trips, securing victories against Osasuna, Getafe and a 1-0 win at Mallorca on February 28, 2026.
Elsewhere, Turkish striker Enes Unal scored the winning goal for Getafe in a 1-0 victory over Racing de Santander on Sunday. It was Unal's first La Liga goal for Getafe in over three years, dating back to a May 3, 2023 fixture against Celta Vigo.
The second matchday also produced the first goalless match of the La Liga season, as Valencia and Celta Vigo played out a 0-0 draw at Mestalla on Saturday after nine consecutive scoring games. Valencia has not won its opening league fixture since defeating Sevilla 2-1 in 2023.
