Real Betis opened their Spanish league campaign on Friday with a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Real Sociedad in the new season’s opening round.
Former Atletico Madrid forward Rodrigo Riquelme scored the only goal of the match in the 65th minute, giving Betis all three points and leaving Sociedad empty-handed.
Betis take early points
The win gave Real Betis a strong start to the new campaign, as they collected their first three points of the season.
Real Sociedad, meanwhile, left the match without a point and will look to recover in the next round.
Key result in the opening round
The result is one of the early highlights of the Spanish league season, with several teams beginning their campaigns across the opening round.
Betis will face Valencia in their next league match on Tuesday, while Real Sociedad are due to visit Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona to begin their campaigns
In another fixture preview, Atletico Madrid will begin their season at home against Villarreal on Sunday at the Civitas Metropolitano.
The Madrid club will be aiming for an opening victory against a strong opponent that knows how to trouble bigger teams.
Barcelona travel to Elche
Defending champions Barcelona will also start their campaign away from home, visiting Elche in a match they will hope to win in order to set the tone for their title defence.
Barcelona know the opening round will not decide the title race, but it can still offer an early sign of how prepared the big clubs are for the season ahead.
Other opening-round matches
The first round also includes Getafe against newly promoted Racing Santander, along with Osasuna versus Levante and Malaga against Deportivo La Coruna.
These matches round off the opening slate as clubs look to make a positive start and avoid early pressure in the standings.
Conclusion:
Real Betis’ victory over Real Sociedad provided the first clear result in the new Spanish league season, while Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are set to begin their own campaigns. With several competitive fixtures already lined up, the new La Liga season appears set for an intense start.
