Madrid: Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez scored the 5000th Spanish league goal in Real Madrid's history to help the defending champions beat Numancia 4-3 on Sunday for their first win of the season.
Gonzalo Higuain and Rafael van der Vaart also netted for Madrid, with the game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium decided by Numancia left back Domingo Cisma's own-goal.
Juan Carlos Moreno scored twice and Jose Javier Barkero had Numancia's other goal as the promoted team came close to emulating their victory over FC Barcelona in their opening game.
Madrid haqve three points, three behind Espanyol, the only team to have made a perfect start to the season.
Espanyol won 1-0 at Recreativo Huelva after striker Luis Garcia scored in the 84th minute with an angled shot from just inside the area which culminated a sweeping, passing move.
In Sunday's late game, Almeria drew 2-2 with Valencia, leaving the two sides with four points, level with Sevilla, Getafe and Villarreal
Pablo Piatti gave Almeria a 20th-minute lead when he pounced after goalkeeper Renan Brito had spilled Julio Alvarez's shot.
Valencia leveled through Alexis Ruano in the 35th, only for Almeria striker Alvaro Negredo to score with a looping header five minutes later.
Spain striker David Villa fired the visitors' equalizer from Joaquin Sanchez's pass in the 69th.
The result marked a satisfactory return to Juegos Mediterraneos Stadium for Valencia coach Unai Emery, who led Almeria to promotion two seasons ago and to eighth place last season.
Sunday's other results were: Villarreal 1, Deportivo La Coruna 0; Getafe 0, Real Betis 0; Malaga 0, Athletic Bilbao 0; and Mallorca 1, Osasuna 1.
Midfielder Moreno began the goal rush at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, when he ran in unmarked to send a downward header past goalkeeper Iker Casillas in the seventh minute.
Guti, captain for the day as Raul Gonzalez was left on the bench to save him for Wednesday's Champions League game with Bate Borisov, scored in the 19th with a sweeping shot which took a deflection off defender Boris Gonzalez.
Numancia, who fielded a full team of Spaniards, restored their lead in spectacular fashion three minutes later when Barquero fired a swerving long-range shot into the top corner.
Madrid leveled again in the 26th when Higuain took advantage of Van Nistelrooy's through pass to shoot home off the post.
Van der Vaart, making his league debut for Madrid following his offseason move from Hamburg, gave the home team the lead for the first time in the 34th with a powerful angled drive from just inside the area.
Cisma inadvertently headed Madrid's fourth goal six minutes later after Madrid defender Pepe had back-headed Guti's corner into his path.
Moreno reduced Madrid's two-goal cushion in the 57th with a fierce free kick that Casillas got a hand to but couldn't stop.
Numancia piled forward in the final stages, with Madrid surviving a series of close shaves to hang on to a hard-earned victory.
Villarreal warmed up for Wednesday's Champions League match at holder Manchester United with a narrow win over visiting Deportivo.
Midfielder Santi Cazorla, who helped Spain win the European Championship in June, scored in the 27th minute with a low drive from the edge of the area.
Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini gave former New York Red Bulls striker Jozy Altidore his Spanish league debut as a substitute at the start of the second half, and the United States international embarked on an impressive solo run in the 75th.
Eight minutes earlier, Villarreal's former France midfielder, Robert Pires, made his first appearance of the season as a substitute following his recovery from a left thigh strain.
Getafe was forced to field an on-loan goalkeeper from Valladolid, Jacobo Sanz, following injuries to Argentine international Roberto Abbondanzieri and Argentina's Olympic goalkeeper, Oscar Ustari.
After Jacobo had made several impressive saves, Getafe midfielder Juan Albin wasted an 82nd-minute penalty by shooting against the bar as the home team dropped its first points of the season.
In its first home match in the topflight since 2006, Malaga played out a scoreless draw with Bilbao to earn both teams their first point.
Mallorca striker Aritz Aduriz fired his team into a 16th-minute lead, only for Osasuna's Javier Portillo to equalize in the 85th, leaving both teams winless so far.
Mallorca defender Josemi Gonzalez was sent off for elbowing Portillo in the final stages.
On Saturday, FC Barcelona drew 1-1 with Racing Santander.
The former Spanish Champions were looking for their first victory when they hosted Racing Santander at the Nou Camp.
Lionel Messi, who started on the bench, was the first to get a goal in, from a spot in the 71st minute.
Racing equalised five minutes later with Jonathan Pereira deflecting a free-kick into the back of the net. Barca now have one point from two games - the club's worst start to a La Liga season since 1973-74.
In the other matches Atletico Madrid lost 2-1 at Valladolid and Sevilla beat Sporting Gijon 4-3.
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