La Liga Results 2015: Scores and Updated Table After Saturday's Week 2 Matches
Barcelona continued their 100 percent start to defending the La Liga title won last season. Meanwhile, bitter rival Real Madrid got off the mark under new manager Rafa Benitez.
Barca saw off a stubborn Malaga side courtesy of a goal from little-seen defender Thomas Vermaelen. The ex-Arsenal centre-back struck a superb half-volley in the second half to claim all three points at the Camp Nou.
As for Los Blancos, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez hit goals in the first half to begin a rout of newly promoted Real Betis. Benitez brought back centre-forward Karim Benzema to link with Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Spanish capital.
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Here are the full results from the second week of this La Liga season:
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
| Friday, August 28 | Villarreal | 3-1 | Espanyol |
| Saturday, August 29 | Real Sociedad | 0-0 | Sporting Gijon |
| Saturday, August 29 | Barcelona | 1-0 | Malaga |
| Saturday, August 29 | Celta Vigo | 3-0 | Rayo Vallecano |
| Saturday, August 29 | Real Madrid | 5-0 | Real Betis |
Here's what those results mean for the table after two games:
| Position | Played | Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
| 1 | 2 | Celta Vigo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| 2 | 2 | Barcelona | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 2 | Real Madrid | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | 2 | Villarreal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | 1 | Eibar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | 1 | Atletico Madrid | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | 2 | Espanyol | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
| 8 | 2 | Real Sociedad | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | 2 | Sporting Gijon | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | 1 | Valencia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | 1 | Deportivo La Coruna | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 1 | Sevilla | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | 2 | Malaga | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| 14 | 2 | Rayo Vallecano | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 1 |
| 15 | 2 | Real Betis | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 1 |
| 16 | 1 | Levante | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 17 | 1 | Las Palmas | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 18 | 1 | Athletic Bilbao | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 19 | 1 | Getafe | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 20 | 1 | Granada | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
Barca Dig Deep for Another Narrow Win
After opening their account with a single-goal away win against Athletic Bilbao, Barca were again narrow winners. This time, last season's treble winners had to overcome a miserly Malaga side at the Camp Nou.
It was Malaga goalkeeper Idriss Carlos Kameni who most often left Barcelona frustrated. The 31-year-old Cameroonian stopper had a career day in league competition, according to Opta Jose:
Kameni was kept busy because Barca unleashed the marquee forward line of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr. for the first time this season. There was some smart combination play between Neymar and Messi that created a pair of excellent chances for the latter.
But Kameni was always there to keep the scores deadlocked. Things stayed that way until the middle of the second half when Suarez rasped a quick cross across the front of Kameni's goal.
He parried the ball, but Vermaelen was on hand to turn it in. The finish was technically superb. It also preserved Barca's impressive recent run in La Liga:
Manager Luis Enrique's squad hasn't been at its best so far this season, but Barcelona have still earned maximum points to kick off their title defence.
Los Blancos Hit Form Under Benitez
After drawing a blank in the new season's opening week, Madrid went goal crazy against Betis. Bale, Benzema and a brace from Rodriguez staked Benitez's men into a four-goal lead before the hour mark.
Bale added his second and Los Merengues' fifth late on.
The Welshman, who has often come in for criticism during his stint in Spain, opened the scoring within two minutes, per the Sky Sports La Liga Twitter feed:
"GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Real Betis (Bale) Live on Sky Sports 3 HD or follow it here: http://t.co/Gj5qyvLGwI http://t.co/hhh5TkeAo6
— Sky Sports La Liga (@revistadelaliga) August 29, 2015"
Elsewhere, there was a welcome return for Roberto Soldado. He was the key man in Villarreal's 3-1 win over Espanyol:
It's great to see Soldado thriving now that he's back in Spain. The 30-year-old striker is a clever and classy player who endured a torrid time with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
His time in north London was certainly not a reflection of his talent.
Barca aren't firing on all cylinders but are still setting a strong early pace. That's an ominous sign for the rest of La Liga, even if Benitez will believe his team will have a major say in the title race once the squad is settled.
