Malaga give Atletico a dose of reality

Atletico Madrid came back down off their Champions League cloud crashing to a 3-0 opening day league defeat at Malaga on Sunday.

Atletico were full of beans after qualifying for the Champions League and drawing the mighty Chelsea but their Jekyll and Hyde inconsistency suggests it will be another rollercoaster season.

Nabil Baha put Malaga ahead on 34 minutes and 20-year-old defender Manu added a second on his full league debut before Xavi Torres netted late on.

Conceding three goals represented a miserable Atletico debut for goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo, a summer signing from Valladolid, and a bad start for coach Abel Resino who has still not won over some fans.

Villarreal will expect to challenge Atletico for third spot, with Barcelona and Real Madrid expected to be first and second, and the post Manuel Pellegrini era started with a 1-1 draw against Osasuna on Sunday.

Ernesto Valverde has taken over the reins from Pellegrini, who jumped ship for Real Madrid, but could not start with a win in his first match at the helm.

Valverde handed Brazilian forward Nilmar, a 12 million euro club record signing, his debut partnering Giuseppe Rossi in attack.

Winger Santi Cazorla put Villarreal ahead on 31 minutes but the lead was shortlived as Walter Pandiani equalised six minutes later.

In other matches, Roberto Soldado scored a sensational hat-trick to fire Getafe, who narrowly escaped relegation in the last campaign, to the top of the table with a thumping 4-1 win at Racing Santander.

Real Madrid old boy Soldado scored a brace inside five minutes (29 min, 34,) before completing his treble in the second half.

Elsewhere Bilbao got over their Spanish Super Cup loss to Barcelona with a 1-0 home victory over Espanyol.

Japan international midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, a free transfer steal from Celtic, made his Espanyol bow but it ended in defeat as Gaizka Toquero struck a 78th minute winner.

Xerez’s first ever game in the Spanish top-flight – 62 years after their foundation – ended in a 2-0 reverse at Real Mallorca.

Second division champions Xerez were down to ten men after Leandro Gioda was sent off for a reckless challenge close to half-time and Mallorca exploited the extra man in the second half.

Valencia and Sevilla, two other teams competing for third, lock horns later on Sunday looking to lay down an early marker.

It has been billed as the battle of the strikers with Valencia’s Spanish internationals David Villa and David Silva bidding to outgun Sevilla’s Luis Fabiano and new 15 million euro signing Alvaro Negredo.

On Saturday Real Madrid’s new brand of ‘Galacticos’, fronted by Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, started with a hard-fought 3-2 home win over Deportivo La Coruna.

French midfielder Lass Diarra scored the decisive goal for Real as coach Manuel Pellegrini enjoyed a winning start in his first match in charge.

Champions Barcelona start their title defence on Monday at home to Sporting Gijon and must do without Argentine sensation Lionel Messi.

Messi is away on international duty with Argentina who face Brazil in a crucial 2010 World Cup qualifier.