Football: Real and Barca battle back as Atletico lose ground at the top

MADRID -- Real Madrid and Barcelona both came from behind to seal victories that extended their advantage over the chasing pack at the top of La Liga on Saturday as Gareth Bale was jeered by his own fans at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Barca needed a late winner from Arturo Vidal to beat bottom-club Leganes 2-1 after Luis Suarez headed home a Lionel Messi free-kick to cancel out a brilliant opener from Leganes forward Youssef En-Nesyri.

Madrid were behind after 110 seconds against high-flying Real Sociedad but Karim Benzema scored his sixth goal in five games, before Fede Valverde and Luka Modric wrapped up a 3-1 win in the second half.

It means Atletico Madrid lost further ground by being held to a 1-1 draw at Granada, with Real Sociedad remaining fifth, five points off the top. Sevilla, in fourth, play at Real Valladolid on Sunday.

Madrid's comeback was overshadowed by the whistles for Bale after his controversial celebration following Wales' win over Hungary last week. He celebrated with a flag that read: "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order."

The fans jeered when his name was announced before kick-off and even louder when he came on as a substitute in the second half.

"I can't tell you it's fair or unfair," said Zidane after the match. "But we need our fans to be with us. I can't control it, neither can Gareth or anyone. But Gareth came on and he played very well."

Without Bale, Benzema continued his excellent form with another goal and an assist for Modric late on. In between, Valverde gave Madrid the lead with a deflected shot from the edge of the area.

Madrid's fans were also given the chance to see Martin Odegaard, their 20-year-old Norwegian loanee at Real Sociedad, who has been key to their strong start to the season.

Odegaard impressed, with one through ball in the first half even drawing gasps of approval from the home support.

- Gritty Barcelona -

Barcelona's gritty victory will come as a relief to coach Ernesto Valverde too ahead of a testing month for his side.

They play Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday in the Champions League and a goalless draw against Slavia Prague earlier this month means qualification from Group F is no longer guaranteed.

After Dortmund, Barca then play at Atletico in La Liga to start a month that will include trips to Inter Milan in the Champions League and Real Sociedad in La Liga before the season's first Clasico.

"It was a big win because the game was very difficult," Valverde said. "The pitch was dreadful, there was a lot of wind and they scored early. 
"I don't want it to sound like an excuse but it made it hard and still we were able to win."

The home side made the perfect start as En-Nesyri beat Gerard Pique with a wonderful early strike.

Pique has spent the international break juggling football with the Davis Cup, the revamped tennis tournament in Madrid that he is organising through his marketing company.

"There is more noise outside the club than inside," said Pique after the match.

"I think it's got a bit out of hand -- whether I'm in Madrid, eating here, having dinner there -- it's all part of the circus. But I do my job. I come here, I play football. And that's it."

One pass from Roque Mesa was enough to set En-Nesyri free against the 32-year-old in the 12th minute. Pique jostled but was taken by surprise as En-Nesyri nipped inside and bent a shot into the far corner.

Suarez went close, Pique hit the post and Suarez did find the net, glancing in Messi's clipped free-kick for his ninth goal of the season.

Barca's second owed much to luck but it came from another cross. Pique rose to head in but the ball missed him and cannoned off the foot of Ruben Perez. Vidal was waiting on the line to prod in. 

Atletico were unable to find a winner as they played out their seventh draw of the season, the joint most in the division.

Ronan Lodi scored his first La Liga goal after being slipped though by Hector Herrera but Herrera was at fault for the equaliser, losing his marker as German Sanchez powered in a superb header to earn Granada a point.

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Football: Messi unable to inspire Barca winner as Madrid hold on for draw

BARCELONA -- Real Madrid gained a measure of redemption at the Camp Nou by holding Barcelona to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday and taking the upper-hand in the semi-final of Copa del Rey. 

Neither Lionel Messi nor Gareth Bale were named in the starting line-ups for this first leg but their replacements filled the void as Malcom's curling shot cancelled out an early opener from Lucas Vazquez. 

After an impressive opening 20 minutes, Madrid were largely second best in a compelling, if unspectacular, Clasico but the result leaves them well-placed heading into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on February 27. 

For Santiago Solari's side, a resilient, gutsy display will also help erase the memory of their humiliation here in October, when they were thrashed 5-1, a result that caused Julen Lopetegui to be sacked the following day.

"Comparisons are unhelpful," said Solari. "But this result shows how hard the team is working."

Messi, who had been struggling with a thigh problem, and Bale, who faces a fight for place after recovering from a calf injury, both came on after the hour but neither could inspire a winner. 

Instead, it was Vazquez, and two youthful Brazilians that took centre stage. Vazquez scored but Vinicius Junior, the youngest Real Madrid player to feature in a Clasico this century, was his team's greatest threat until the 18-year-old departed in the second half. 

"I'm not surprised by how he plays because I've known him since he arrived," said Solari. "But an 18-year-old boy playing and developing in this way, that is a surprise."

Malcom was just as unpredictable and in the end, it was the 21-year-old's intervention that keeps Barca on level terms. 

"The tie is in the balance," coach Ernesto Valverde said. "A draw is a fair reflection," said Sergio Busquets.

Barely 10 seconds had passed before Toni Kroos snapped into Ivan Rakitic, setting the tone for what was a dominant opening spell from Madrid. 

Vinicius led the way. He was fearless, full of imperfections and erratic decisions but delivering moments of clarity too when Madrid were at their most threatening. 

- Benzema sets up Vazquez -

He jinked inside Nelson Semedo and teed up Kroos before producing the cross that created the goal, an arching ball over the head of Jordi Alba, which Karim Benzema tucked back for Vazquez to poke in. 

Rakitic and Philippe Coutinho were both careless in possession but Vinicius lacked precision to capitalise, first scuttling into Benzema and then misreading the Frenchman's run. 

Barca had been just as frantic, with Luis Suarez even tripping over his own feet. But they improved and after half an hour, were in the ascendancy. 

Malcom missed a one-on-one and then became their best player for a period, crossing for Rakitic to head against the bar and teeing up Suarez to sting the hands of Keylor Navas. 

The home fans called Messi's name at the start of the second half and when he jogged up the touchline shortly before the hour, they roared as if for a goal. 

They did that soon after too, after an equaliser of chaos and quality in equal measure. Navas rushed out to block Alba before Suarez curled a brilliant shot that beat the diving Sergio Ramos but not the post. 

It spilled to Malcom and he still had work to do, 20 yards out with white shirts in front. He found a gap. 

Messi came on, along with Arturo Vidal, Bale and Casemiro. Vinicius was among those to make way, his bright start fading with fatigue. 

Neither side seemed sure how much to commit for a winner. Messi twice weaved through but the best chance fell to Bale, who received from Benzema after Marc-Andre ter Stegen's skewed clearance. The goal was open but Bale's touch was heavy and Semedo made a crucial block.

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LA LIGA: Bale strikes in vital Madrid win at Sociedad

MADRID, Spain -- Gareth Bale responded in style to his critics with a fine finish as Real Madrid got back to winning ways with a 3-1 win at Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Borja Mayoral rewarded a bright start by Real with his first Madrid goal before Sociedad's Kevin Rodrigues scored at both ends to give the visitors a 2-1 half-time lead.

And Bale secured the three points as he sped past Rodrigues and dinked the ball over Geronimo Rulli for just his second goal of the season on the hour mark.

Victory moves the European champions up to fourth and within four points of leaders Barcelona.

Bale had received stinging criticism from the Spanish press and Madrid fans for his underwhelming displays in Ronaldo's absence in recent weeks as Real dropped points at home to Valencia and Levante.

"It's great to always score, but the most important thing was to get the three points for the team, get back on track and get back to winning ways," Bale told Spanish TV station Movistar.

"I just have to try to keep my head down and keep working hard and that's all I can do.

"I can't control what goes on, I can only control how hard I work on the pitch.

"You go through ups and downs in your career -- it is how you bounce back."

Without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo, as he completed a five-game ban, and injured Karim Benzema, Zinedine Zidane handed 20-year-old Mayoral a shock start up front.

And the Frenchman's faith was rewarded inside 20 minutes when Mayoral swept home a loose ball with a classy finish from close range.

Mayoral's strike meant Madrid have now matched a world record of scoring in 73 consecutive games set by Pele's Santos in the 1960s.

- Crazy 60 seconds -

However, the visitors' joy lasted just nine minutes as Rodrigues levelled thanks to a blunder from Keylor Navas.

Rodrigues fired Alvaro Odriozola's cross towards goal on the volley, but the Real 'keeper should have made a comfortable stop rather than letting the ball slip under his grasp.

The match was then held up as a cameraman had to be stretchered off with his leg heavily strapped as he was injured from fans surging forward from a temporary stand behind the goal Sociedad were defending.

Once the game got back underway, a crazy 60 seconds for Rodrigues swung the match back in Madrid's favour.

The left-back was inches away from bagging a second when his looping effort came back off the bar.

However, Real broke straight up the other end and the unfortunate Rodrigues turned Mayoral's cross into his own net.

Bale sealed the points after the break by scoring for the fifth straight match at Anoeta as his pace took him beyond the Sociedad defence before coolly chipping over the advancing Rulli.

Earlier, Alaves sacked Argentine coach Luis Zubeldia after just four games in charge as they slipped to the bottom of La Liga with a 3-0 defeat at home to Villarreal.

Zubeldia failed to muster a point or even a solitary goal in his brief stint in charge with defeats to Leganes, Barcelona and Celta Vigo also sealing his fate.

By contrast, Sevilla's impressive start to the season continued with victory on the road at Girona to move up to second.

Luis Muriel's first goal for the club since completing a 20 million euro ($24 million) move from Sampdoria was enough for a 1-0 win.

And former Chelsea striker Loic Remy also bagged his first goal for Las Palmas to secure a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

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UEFA Super Cup: Real Madrid outclasses Man United

A delightful goal by Isco proved the difference as Real Madrid survived a Manchester United fightback to win 2-1 and lift the UEFA Super Cup in the Macedonian capital of Skopje early Wednesday morning.

Casemiro put the reigning European champions in front on 24 minutes on a steamy summer's night in the Balkans and Isco doubled their lead seven minutes into the second half after a one-two with Gareth Bale.

The gulf in class between Madrid -- for whom Cristiano Ronaldo appeared as a late substitute -- and Europa League winners United that Jose Mourinho had feared was all too evident and it looked like the Spaniards would go on to win by a wider margin.

But Romelu Lukaku pulled one back just past the hour, marking his competitive debut for United with a goal and sparking a big improvement from the Premier League club in the final stages.

It was to no avail, with Zinedine Zidane's side winning this trophy for the second year running and the fourth time overall. It is the eighth time in nine years that a Spanish club has won the Super Cup.

Bale handed start

While Ronaldo started on the bench for Madrid having only commenced pre-season training at the weekend, Bale was included in the line-up.

United boss Mourinho caused a stir on Monday when he claimed he would make a bid to take the Welshman to Old Trafford if he were not a starter at the Philip II Arena.

Despite the presence of £75 million ($97 million) signing Lukaku up front, with Paul Pogba behind, United gave the impression that they could do with some extra inspiration in the final third.

Having missed much of last season's run-in due to injury, Bale is fit again, but it was Casemiro who emerged as the unlikely main threat going forward for Real in the first half.

The Brazilian midfielder almost opened the scoring in the 16th minute, getting in front of Matteo Darmian to head a Toni Kroos corner against the bar from six yards.

And the breakthrough came just past the midway point in the first half as Dani Carvajal was afforded the time to flight a ball over Victor Lindelof -- another United debutant -- for Casemiro to stretch and volley past David de Gea.

De Gea, formerly a Madrid transfer target, then needed to intervene to save from a Karim Benzema snap-shot that followed a driving run into the area by Luka Modric, as Zidane's side were restricted to a one-goal lead at the break.

Mourinho sent on Marcus Rashford for Jesse Lingard at the start of the second half, yet it was at the other end that the chances kept coming.

De Gea repelled a Kroos piledriver but there was nothing he could do to stop Isco making it 2-0 in the 52nd minute.

Surrounded by red shirts just inside the area to the left, Isco escaped their attentions by playing a one-two with Bale before coolly finishing past De Gea.

Bale then struck the bar, and all this was going on without Ronaldo, who appeared from the bench to warm-up, raising hysteric cheers from the sizeable number of locals with sympathies for the Spanish side.

United had a mountain to climb and were not helped when Lukaku blazed over after Keylor Navas pushed a Pogba header out into his path.

Lukaku did not make the same mistake twice, converting the rebound when a Nemanja Matic drive was not convincingly dealt with by Navas, but the 'keeper redeemed himself with a vital late save to deny Rashford.

And Real, with Ronaldo on for the closing stages, held on.

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LA LIGA: Bale helps Real to winning start, Atletico held

BARCELONA - Gareth Bale scored a double in a commanding 3-0 win for Real Madrid in their La Liga opener at Real Sociedad on Sunday, building on his stunning displays for Wales at Euro 2016.

Bale opened the scoring with a powerful header in the second minute and rounded off the win four minutes into added time with a simple finish after new arrival Marco Asensio had scored his first league goal for Real in the 40th with a sumptuous lob.

Elsewhere, title rivals Atletico Madrid were denied a win with virtually the last kick of the game and had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to promoted Alaves.

The game looked to be heading for a goalless draw until the home side were awarded a penalty in injury time for a handball, allowing Kevin Gameiro to mark his Atletico debut by converting from the spot in the 93rd minute.

Diego Simeone's side were dealt a nasty late surprise though when Manu Garcia let fly from outside the area to salvage a point for the Basque side, the 2001 UEFA Cup runners-up who were playing their first top flight game in 13 years.

Earlier on Sunday, Sporting Gijon beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1 thanks to quick fire goals from Duje Cop and Victor Rodriguez at the start of the second half, with Borja Viguera scoring late for the visitors.

RACIST CHANTS

Midway through the first half referee Carlos Clos Gomez halted the game for a minute after Athletic striker Inaki Williams, a Spain under-21 international born in Spain to a Ghanaian father and Liberian mother, was subjected to racist chanting from the home supporters.

Real are third in the table with three points, behind Barcelona and Sevilla on goal difference, while Atletico are seventh.

After title rivals Barcelona had laid down a marker with a ruthless 6-2 win at home to Real Betis on Saturday, the pressure was on Real to make a strong start.

They were without first choice forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, so Bale was accompanied by Alvaro Morata and Asensio instead.

The Wales international had nodded in the only goal in this fixture last season late in the second half but needed little more than 60 seconds to strike this time, meeting Dani Carvajal's whipped cross from the right to power the ball into the top near corner.

"It's important to get off to a winning start especially at a ground as difficult as this one. This was the best way to start the season," Zidane told reporters.

"Every player put in a huge effort and we attacked and defended together. If we fight for every ball we can achieve big things."

Real's second goal came in the 40th minute via Raphael Varane's scooped pass from defence up to Asensio, the youngster controlling with one touch before producing a delightful chip over Geronimo Rulli.

Bale completed the win when he latched on to James Rodriguez's through ball to race clear and calmly take it round Rulli to score again.

(Editing by Alison Williams/Rex Gowar)

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'Dragon-slayer' Ronaldo shatters Wales big night

LYON -- Cristiano Ronaldo became the "Dragon-slayer" as his record-equaling ninth European Championship goal helped power Portugal past Real Madrid teammate Gareth Bales' Wales and into the Euro 2016 final.

Ronaldo brilliantly rose above the Wales' defense to score his country's first goal in the 2-0 win in front of 50,000 fans in the Stade de Lyon on Wednesday.

Nani deflected the Portugal hero's shot for the decisive second goal that saw their country into Sunday's final against tournament hosts France or world champions Germany.

Ronaldo and Bale had not spoken in the tournament before Wednesday's match. With victory sealed, Ronaldo embraced his club teammate at the end.

"The team did a marvelous job to reach the final. I hope on Sunday you'll see me crying with joy," said Ronaldo, who as a 19-year-old wept on the pitch after Portugal lost 1-0 to Greece as hosts of the Euro 2004 final.

"I have always dreamed of winning for Portugal -- I hope it is our time now.

"I am very confident. I deserve it, Portugal deserves it, all the Portuguese people deserve it."

Bale paid tribute to the three-time world player of the year with whom he has not always had an easy relationship in Madrid.

"He's a natural goal-scorer and he scored yet again," said Bale. "We're obviously massively disappointed. We've got to be proud of ourselves first and foremost."

Amazing run

"We gave everything, we have no regrets," he added, predicting Wales would be a force in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

"We've given everything, on the pitch, off the pitch," Bale said of Wales stunning campaign in their first major tournament since 1958 when it took a Pele goal to beat them in the World Cup quarter final.

British media called the 31-year-old Ronaldo the "Dragon-slayer" as they recounted how the sharpshooter had stunned Welsh fans brandishing flags and t-shirts with the national red dragon symbol.

Bale had the better of the first half showing off his pace and power to threaten the Portuguese goal.

But five minutes into the second period, Raphael Guerreiro curled a cross to the back post and Ronaldo leapt above James Chester to head past Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

Three minutes later, Nani, who has just completed a move from Turkey's Fenerbahce to Valencia in Spain, instinctively pushed out his leg to deflect a Ronaldo shot past Hennessy.

Tens of thousands of fans celebrated in Lisbon's Praca do Comercio. Heads dropped in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Ronaldo said he had congratulated Bale on Wales' "amazing run."

"They were the revelation team. I wished him good luck and as for the rest (of the conversation) I'd rather not say."

Ronaldo is desperate to win on Sunday at the Stade de France in what could be his last big chance of winning a Euro or world title.

Portugal did not win a match in regulation 90 minutes before the semi-final.

"Maybe it didn't start as we wanted, but this is not a 100 metre dash, it is a marathon," said the captain.

'My flag, my fatherland'

Portugal coach Fernando Santos, 61, said the final will be the highlight of his long and much-traveled career.

Santos said he would be closely analyzing Thursday's game between France and Germany for potential weaknesses.

"It is my country, my flag, my fatherland, so from a personal point of view it is very important for me.

"Two very strong teams face off tomorrow. I will watch the game very attentively to analyse our opponent."

Germany were boosted ahead of the Marseille game by the news that captain Bastian Schweinsteiger had recovered from injury and would start the match.

But they will still be missing centre-back Mats Hummels through suspension and striker Mario Gomez and midfielder Sami Khedira through injury.

France, like Portugal, have become stronger as the tournament has progressed and hammered Iceland 5-2 in the quarter-final while Germany needed a penalty shootout to beat Italy.

There is an air of revenge for France, whose fans have never forgotten a 1982 defeat in a World Cup semi-final when Patrick Battiston suffered serious injuries.

French coach Didier Deschamps wants a win to end a run of three defeats in major competitions -- including 1982 -- against their neighbours and rivals.

"We can't change past history, but we've got our own page to write," said Deschamps. "We're facing the best team in the world, but the lads have to believe."

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LA LIGA: Title rivals Barca, Atletico and Real all win

BARCELONA - La Liga leaders Barcelona moved closer to retaining their crown with a lacklustre 2-0 away win over 10-man Real Betis thanks to goals from Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez on Saturday.

Atletico Madrid kept pace as substitute Antoine Griezmann fired them to a 1-0 home win over struggling Rayo Vallecano, while Real Madrid's Gareth Bale scored in a 1-0 victory at Real Sociedad that leaves them still a point behind.

Barcelona remain at the summit on 85 points, level with Atletico but having a superior head-to-head record, while Real are third with 84 points and two games of the season left.

Betis had centre-back Heiko Westermann sent off in the 35th minute for a second booking and Ivan Rakitic pounced on a defensive mishap to put Barca five minutes after the break.

Luis Suarez then scored his 35th goal of the La Liga season to finish Betis off in the 81st, meaning Barca can guarantee a 24th league title with wins at home to Espanyol and away to Granada.

Barcelona struggled to break down Betis even after Westermann was dismissed but a misunderstanding between defender German Pezzella and goalkeeper Antonio Adan allowed Rakitic to tap in from close range and break the deadlock.

Suarez then made up for missing a clear chance earlier in the second half by finishing off Lionel Messi's low pass from inside the area.

Barca manager Luis Enrique reacted angrily to suggestions his team had underperformed against Betis.

"What's the problem, if you don't win 8-0 does it not count?" he told a news conference."

"This is a very competitive league with three teams fighting for the title. Looking at the results I don't think any of the three teams are going to slip up and it's in our own hands."

BALE DELIVERS

Bale, who scored twice as Madrid came from two goals down to win 3-2 at Rayo Vallecano last weekend, again delivered when it mattered, nodding in Lucas Vazquez's cross in the 80th minute.

It was the Welshman's ninth headed goal in the league this season, more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues, and earned Madrid the points despite a frustrating afternoon against the side who beat Barcelona earlier this month.

With Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema injured, it was again up to Bale to lead the line, with coach Zinedine Zidane making five changes after the 0-0 at Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final in midweek.

Bale missed several chances before finally breaking the deadlock with 10 minutes remaining, leaping at the near post to glance Vazquez's cross into the top corner for his 19th goal of the league campaign.

With top scorers Ronaldo and Benzema facing a race against time to be fit for Wednesday's second leg against City, Zidane was pleased Bale delivered again.

"It was great to see a player of his importance score a goal ahead of Wednesday," Zidane told a news conference.

"We had to suffer and that's what the players did. We were up against a difficult opponent but I'm happy with the work we did and to pick up the points."

SEVEN CHANGES

Atletico coach Diego Simeone made seven changes to the team that beat Bayern Munich 1-0 on Wednesday to edge closer to the Champions League final, with only keeper Jan Oblak, Jose Gimenez, Gabi and Juanfran keeping their places.

Simeone was serving the first of a three-game touchline ban and watched his side struggle to break down Rayo.

The hosts created only one clear chance before the break, a low shot from Angel Correa that was superbly tipped away by Rayo goalkeeper Juan Carlos.

Atletico's top scorer Griezmann was brought on along with Fernando Torres in the 54th minute and needed less than 60 seconds to have an impact.

The France striker pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the area and, with his next touch, smashed it high into the net past Juan Carlos, his first goal in five games in all competitions.

Torres squandered a chance to seal the win and Rayo nearly punished Atletico, who were relieved to see striker Javi Guerra head over the bar after appearing unmarked in the box.

(Writing by Richard Martin, editing by Ken Ferris and Ian Chadband)

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LA LIGA: Suarez makes history as Barca, Real, Atletico win

BARCELONA - Luis Suarez became the first La Liga player to score four goals for the second game in a row as Barcelona, helped by three penalties in the second half, stayed top by hammering Sporting Gijon 6-0 on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Gareth Bale made up for the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo by scoring twice as Real Madrid came back from two goals down to win 3-2 at Rayo Vallecano while Atletico Madrid kept up their title hopes with a 1-0 home victory over Malaga.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone could be facing a three-game touchline ban after being sent off at halftime when a ball was thrown on to the pitch from the technical area.

Suarez moved ahead of Ronaldo as the league's top scorer on 34 goals after netting four times, twice with penalties, in the space of 25 second-half minutes.

Sporting had defender Ognjen Vranjes sent off in the 85th minute after picking up a second booking for fouling Neymar who scored the subsequent spot kick

The league leaders and Atletico have 82 points, with Barca top because of a superior head-to-head record. Real are third on 81 points with three games remaining.

Lionel Messi's stooping header put Barca ahead on 12 minutes but Gijon, who are third from bottom, missed two chances to equalise before halftime.

Suarez eased Barca nerves by tapping home Andres Iniesta's low cross in the 63rd minute before converting twice from the spot.

The prolific Uruguayan, who also scored four times and provided three assists in Wednesday's 8-0 thrashing of Deportivolass="highlight"> La Coruna, grabbed another goal in the 88th minute, drilling in a pass from Messi.

NEGATIVE RUN

Barca have now scored 14 goals in their last two league games after picking up just one point from their previous four matches.

"It was vital we won and doing it by scoring lots of goals helps lift our confidence," said coach Luis Enrique. "We have turned round a very negative run that nobody expected."

Ronaldo missed his first league game of the season due to a muscle strain and Real suffered another blow ahead of their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City in midweek when Karim Benzema was injured against Rayo.

Real were 2-0 down inside 14 minutes after Adrian Embarba scored from close range and Venezuelan striker Miku pounced on more poor defending from the visitors.

Bale started the revival, heading in a 35th-minute corner before Zinedine Zidane's side drew level six minutes after the break through substitute Lucas Vazquez.

Welshman Bale netted again nine minutes from time, collecting a misplaced pass from a Rayo defender before powering the ball past goalkeeper Juan Carlos.

"I'm very happy with him and he's very happy at being able to make the difference," Real coach Zidane told a news conference. "He's a spectacular footballer and he demonstrated that today."

Rayo took a surprise early lead when Embarba converted former Manchester United player Bebe's low cross from six metres, and a weak header from Raphael Varane allowed Miku to make it 2-0.

Bale's header lifted Real and they drew level through substitute Vazquez who had replaced Benzema.

The Wales forward had the final say, intercepting the ball and racing into the box down the left to strike the winner.

Substitute Angel Correa settled a difficult game for Atletico against Malaga soon after coming off the bench, as his shot from the edge of the area was deflected into the far corner in the 62nd minute.

Simeone said a ball boy lobbed the ball on to the pitch, leading to the coach being forced to watch the second half from the stands.

"It was the boy who was beside us but it doesn't change anything," said the coach. "It's clear the referee took the correct decision as stated by the rules."

(Editing by Tony Jimenez)

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Barca facing tough task to retain La Liga title

MADRID - Champions Barcelona begin their bid for a sixth La Liga title in eight years at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday knowing that fellow heavyweights Real Madrid could, unusually, be just one of several challengers for their crown.

Under new coach Rafa Benitez, Real are desperate to recover from a 2014-15 season when they failed to win major silverware and will be looking to FIFA Ballon d'Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo to break more scoring records and hoping world record signing Gareth Bale can rediscover his best form.

Atletico Madrid proved they are genuine contenders by winning Spain's top flight in 2013-14 and inspirational Argentine coach Diego Simeone has overseen some canny business in the latest transfer window, including luring Colombia striker Jackson Martinez from Porto.

And it would be no great surprise if Valencia, flush with cash following last year's takeover by Singapore billionaire Peter Lim, and Europa League champions Sevilla, who gave Barca a mighty scare in this month's European Super Cup, are in the mix at the top of the table come May.

"In Spain we don't just have Barcelona," Benitez told daily El Pais this week.

"There is Atletico, Valencia, Sevilla, who are all performing very well," added the much-travelled 55-year-old, who began his coaching career in Real's academy after his nascent playing career was ended by injury.

"But it's true that Barcelona are the champions and the reference point."

Bilbao showed Barca are vulnerable when they thrashed them 4-0 in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup last week, going on to seal a 5-1 aggregate success in the return on Monday, and the pressure on the Catalan club to match last term's haul of Champions League, La Liga and King's Cup titles will be immense.

Much will depend on the form of talismanic forward Lionel Messi, who with strike partners Neymar and Luis Suarez rattled in a Spanish record 122 goals in all competitions last term.

Andalusian rivals Sevilla and Malaga get the new season under way on Friday when they clash at the Rosaleda (1830 GMT), before Atletico host promoted Las Palmas (1830) and Valencia play at Rayo Vallecano (2030) on Saturday.

After Barca play at Bilbao on Sunday (1630), Real are at another promoted side, Sporting Gijon (1830), and second-division champions Real Betis host Villarreal (2030). (Editing by Martyn Herman)

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