La Liga Results 2016: Scores and Updated Table After Saturday's Week 2 Matches
Atletico Madrid were held to a goalless draw at newly promoted Leganes in Butarque on Saturday. Manager Diego Simeone's team again failed to sparkle in attack despite a first start of the season for marquee forward Antoine Griezmann.
It will hurt even more to see local rivals Real Madrid top the table after leaving it late to beat Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Toni Kroos netting the winner. It means manager Zinedine Zidane's team has made a perfect start to the new league campaign and are worthy of the top spot.
Earlier, Real Sociedad produced an excellent win in Osasuna. Their two-goal victory followed Eibar's 1-0 triumph at home to Valencia, courtesy of a goal from winger Pedro Leon.
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Here are the final scores from Saturday's matches:
| Home | Score | Away |
| Eibar | 1-0 | Valencia |
| Osasuna | 0-2 | Real Sociedad |
| Real Madrid | 2-1 | Celta Vigo |
| Leganes | 0-0 | Atletico Madrid |
Here's what the table looks like:
| Position | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal Difference | Points |
| 1 | Real Madrid | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 2 | Deportivo La Coruna | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Leganes | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Barcelona | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | Sevilla | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | Las Palmas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | Sporting Gijon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Eibar | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Real Sociedad | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| 10 | Malaga | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | Atletico Madrid | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Granada | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Villarreal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Alaves | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Espanyol | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
| 16 | Osasuna | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
| 17 | Real Betis | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 1 |
| 18 | Athletic Bilbao | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 19 | Celta Vigo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 20 | Valencia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 0 |
Recap
Atleti found it tough to break down stubborn opposition for the second game running. In particular, Simeone's team struggled for inspiration in the final third.
It doesn't help that new signing Kevin Gameiro struggled from open play. The former Sevilla star has yet to find his finishing range this season, according to OptaJose:
Simeone hooked Gameiro after the Frenchman wasted a couple of one-on-one situations early in the second half. His exit cleared the way for striker Fernando Torres to come off the bench and enjoy a nice moment of symmetry in his career, per Sky Sports Statto:
Keen to stay on the offensive, Simeone also introduced winger Yannick Carrasco for midfield man Gabi. Atletico had ample pace around Torres in the form of Carrasco and Griezmann.
The introduction of another attacking substitution, winger Nicolas Gaitan, saw Simeone go for broke, according to AS:
Yet, the changes didn't work and it was the debutants in Spain's top flight who left the pitch with a point. No wonder they're happy, Leganes now sit an improbable third after two weeks.
Atleti's problems in front of goal are best summed up by this statistic:
"3.85% - Atletico have the lowest shooting accuracy in La Liga this season (3.85%). Weakness.
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) August 27, 2016"
Afterward, Griezmann pulled no punches when assessing his club's start to the campaign, per the Guardian's Sid Lowe:
It was a rare strike from the returning Alvaro Morata that appeared to set Los Blancos on their way to a comfortable home win. The academy prospect, who moved to Juventus before returning to the Spanish capital, hasn't found the net often for Real, per OptaJose:
The home side pressed and pressed for the second, but found their visitors stubborn opponents. Celta weren't just resilient defensively, though. They also produced some quality going forward.
In particular, Chilean midfield gem Fabian Orellana excelled. He pulled the strings with intelligent and neat passing, while also making well-timed runs to support the forward line.
One such run gave Orellana the shooting chance that led to Celta's goal. The crafty 30-year-old rifled his shot into the top corner, and it was no more than the away side merited.
Things seemed headed for a draw until Los Merengues winger Lucas Vazquez clipped in a cross for Kroos. The German playmaker made the most of the chance to earn Real all three points.
Vazquez has become a keen supplier of goals at the start of the new season:
It was tough on manager Eduardo Berizzo's Celta side, but the result also showcased the depth of Real's attacking talent. It's their extensive quality in the final third that can take Los Blancos to the title.
Valencia's miserable start to the season continued when Leon scored seconds after missing from the spot, following a handball by centre-back Aymen Abdennour.
It's now two defeats in a row for Los Che, while manager Pako Ayestaran is still struggling to reshape the squad. The constraints placed on him were made obvious by Arsenal target Shkodran Mustafi being left out of the squad as he nears a move to the Gunners, per Ed Malyon of the Daily Mirror.
Ayestaran was also left annoyed by persistent talk-linking striker Paco Alcacer to Barcelona, according to Lluis Miguelsanz of Spanish publication Sport. It's already looking like another tough season for Valencia.
By contrast, Sociedad are off the mark after Juanmi gave them the lead in Osasuna. An Unai Garcia own goal inside the final 10 minutes guaranteed a welcome three points for the visitors.
Atletico would welcome any win at this point. Simeone's squad isn't clicking where it counts, and already looks some way short of Spain's big two.
