Madrid: Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and David Villa scored as Barcelona opened its Spanish league campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win at Racing Santander on Sunday, while Real Madrid was held to a 0-0 draw by Mallorca in Jose Mourinho's first game as a Liga coach.
After just four minutes at Santander's Sardinero Stadium, Messi gathered Iniesta's through pass and raced into the area before chipping goalkeeper Antonio Rodriguez.
Iniesta also lobbed Rodriguez with a perfectly placed first-time shot in the 33rd, before Villa scored his first league goal for Barcelona, heading in unmarked from Daniel Alves's cross in the 63rd.
"This team was already great and it has won everything, so what I wanted to do was settle in as soon as possible at the beginning," said Villa, who moved from Valencia earlier this summer for a fee of €40 million ($51 million).
Mourinho said his Madrid side had not played at the kind of level he hopes it can reach, although he was pleased his players made opportunities and did not concede.
"Among the positives I take from this game are the enormous number of chances that we created, mainly in the second half....We played well enough to win, we had five or six really big chances," he said. "The negative thing is the result."
Also Sunday, Pablo Osvaldo scored twice as Espanyol beat Getafe 3-1, Real Sociedad beat Villarreal 1-0, Deportivo La Coruna drew 0-0 with Zaragoza and Osasuna was held 0-0 by Almeria.
Gerard Pique partnered Eric Abidal in central defense for Barcelona, as injured captain Carles Puyol was rested.
The team also had a different look up front. After Zlatan Ibrahimovic's move to AC Milan was secured on Saturday, Villa joined Messi and Iniesta in attack.
New arrival Villa fitted smoothly into the Barca line-up and nearly scored in the 19th when Messi fed him a long ball into the area, although Rodriguez beat him to the ball.
Messi was involved again in the 29th as he dribbled into the area before his shot was deflected wide.
Villa celebrated what he thought was a goal just before halftime although he was ruled offside.
However, while Barcelona dominated possession, Santander created a handful of chances.
The hosts had a free kick in the 12th after an uncharacteristic late challenge by Pique and Kennedy Bakircioglu followed up with a shot that tested goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
Santander's Francisco "Francis" Perez won a penalty in the 35th, going down in the area under a light challenge by Maxwell. However, Valdes stretched to his right to parry Mohamed Tchite's spot kick.
Valdes ensured a clean sheet again when he stopped Manuel Arana's close-range shot 10 minutes from full time.
Messi was the league's top scorer last season and again looked threatening. In the 69th he just shot wide after Villa set him up with a backheel.
Playmaker Xavi Hernandez was replaced by Pedro Rodriguez at half time due to an injury and Villa came off in the 78th to be replaced by Bojan Krkic. New signing Adriano Correia came on for Iniesta.
Ahead of Madrid's game at Mallorca's Ono Estadi, Mourinho said he felt no pressure to give the club's higher profile players preference. With Kaka injured, he left star signing Mesut Oezil on the bench and deployed new teenage arrival Sergio Canales behind striker Gonzalo Higuain.
Madrid started brightly and created a chance in the ninth minute as Ronaldo burst into the area from the wing and fed Higuain, who ran out of space to shoot.
Ronaldo made another chance when he cut in from the left, before firing a long shot straight at goalkeeper Dudu Aouate.
Higuain was unlucky not to score in the 26th minute, when defender Ruben Gonzalez appeared to clip his leg, tripping the Argentina striker as he ran onto a long pass with only the 'keeper to beat.
Though Madrid enjoyed more possession, it lacked fluency and the game became increasingly physical.
Mallorca started to apply pressure, at times showing the kind of flair associated with its own new coach, Michael Laudrup. Gonzalo Castro fired a left-footed shot just wide of the right post shortly before the break and after halftime the Madrid defense was caught off-guard as Victor Casadesus sent a powerful header over the bar.
With the game drifting, Mourinho introduced Oezil and Karim Benzema on the hour, replacing Canales and Angel Di Maria.
The change nearly paid off immediately when Higuain brushed off a challenge and charged into the penalty area, before Aouate dived at his feet to steal the ball.
As the clock ticked down, Madrid brought on another new signing, Sami Khedira, for Alvaro Arbeloa.
Ronaldo broke through again and although Higuain was in a good scoring position, the Portugal striker instead attempted a shot that went wide. Aouate was outstanding as he kept Madrid at bay for the final minutes.
"We know that in defense if we don't give the other team chances then we'll make chances ourselves," said Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas. "There are things that need improving, but I like this team."
At Espanyol's Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, the unmarked Osvaldo swept the ball into the net in the 33rd from Jose Maria Callejon's pass and added his second in the 55th, pouncing on a loose ball after Getafe's defense failed to clear.
An own goal by defender Ernesto Galan in the 63rd cut the deficit before Jesus Datolo scored Espanyol's third in injury time.
On Saturday, Athletic Bilbao beat Hercules 1-0, Valencia beat Malaga 3-1 and Sevilla won 4-1 at Levante.
On Monday it's Atletico Madrid vs. Sporting Gijon.
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