The 2025/26 La Liga season is officially underway, and Barcelona opened with both style and controversy. Much of the debate centred on refereeing decisions that appeared to wholly favour the champions, most notably the choice not to halt play in the build-up to their second goal, along with contentious red card calls - two given and one overlooked.
Goals from Raphinha, Ferran Torres, and Lamine Yamal secured the three points, though the performance itself fell short of expectations, particularly from a managerial perspective.
It’s three points on the board for Barça’s title defence, but how did their rivals fare on matchday one?
Real Madrid 1 v 0 Osasuna
Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid domestic era began with a 1-0 win, though the lacklustre display was hardly convincing. It took a Kylian Mbappé penalty to keep pace with Barcelona and the other contenders. The lack of a full pre-season and the added demands of the Club World Cup may have contributed to the disjointed display, but it was still important to see this new-look Real Madrid defence get their campaign underway.
Espanyol 2 v 1 Atletico Madrid
Matchday 1 delivered its first shock as a late Espanyol surge spoiled Atlético Madrid’s revamped attacking display with their new stars on show. Miguel Rubio’s debut goal and Pere Milla’s superb header turned the game on its head after Julián Álvarez had kept Atleti in control for over an hour. Missed chances was the name of the game for Diego Simeone’s men.
A disappointing defeat leaves one of Barcelona’s rivals already playing catch-up to the two favourites for the La Liga crown.
Athletic Club 3 v 2 Sevilla
It was the Nico Williams show, as his goal and two assists were enough for Athletic Club to see off a spirited fightback. The visitors clawed back from two goals down to make it 2-2 with 15 minutes to play, but Williams calmly dispatched a dubious penalty before delivering two pinpoint crosses to seal the win. And if nothing else, the game was worth watching for Dodi Lukébakio’s stunning strike.
Villarreal 2 v 0 Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo’s first La Liga campaign in 25 years got off to a disappointing start, suffering a defeat in which they offered little. Alberto Reina was sent off for a second bookable offence, before Etta Eyong’s header and Pape Gueye’s strike sealed the three points. To make matters worse, Solomon Rondon missed a penalty on his debut, adding to the misery.
Girona 1 v 3 Rayo Vallecano
A defensive calamity handed the European hopefuls all three points, with Paolo Gazzaniga at fault for two of the goals. The damage was done long before Joel Roca’s late consolation for the side in Catalonia.
Other key results - Alaves 2 v 1 Levante, Celta Vigo 0 v 2 Getafe and Elche 1 v 1 Real Betis.
La Liga kicked off this weekend with Barcelona beginning their title defence in style, cruising to a 3-0 win. While many will point to the referee’s performance as a factor, the champions’ quality was clear to see, with their attack purring to deliver the perfect start.