THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MADRID — David Villa scored twice Sunday as Valencia beat Valladolid 4-2 in the Spanish league.
Valencia went ahead in the 10th minute through David Silva. The Spain midfielder fed a pass down the left wing to Juan Manuel Mata, who sent a cross back for Silva to head in from close range.
Also on Sunday, Tenerife beat Osasuna 2-1, Deportivo La Coruna beat Malaga 1-0, Villarreal drew 1-1 against Mallorca, Sporting Gijon beat Almeria 1-0 and Athletic Bilbao beat Xerez 1-0 to also start the season perfectly.
Barcelona leads the standings on goal difference ahead of Real Madrid, Valencia and Athletic with all four clubs having the maximum six points after two rounds.
Silva was at the heart of most of Valencia’s attacks and was a constant threat in the midfield. His shot hit the post in the 21st and moments later his cross found Pablo Hernandez only for the winger to shoot wide.
Despite Valencia’s early dominance through rapid counterattacks, Nauzet Aleman found the net for Valladolid after half an hour, scoring after Valencia goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya failed to clear Nestor Cannobio’s shot.
Valencia struck back in the 33rd as Ever Banega sent a long pass over the Valladolid midfield, finding Pablo Hernandez on the right, who set up David Villa to tap in his first goal of the season.
Villa appeared to have scored again when he chested in a cross but referee Undiano Mallenco disallowed it for offside, although television replays showed Villa behind the defenders when the pass was delivered.
Valladolid came close to equalizing again shortly before the break, when chaotic defending saw Jonathan Sesma just failing to beat Moya with a close-range volley. An immediate counterattack by Banega sent the unmarked Juan Manuel Mata down the left wing and he coolly shot between advancing goalkeeper Jacobo Ovejero’s legs.
Villa scored again in the 56th, after Luis Miguel Brito’s long pass put him through to shoot past Ovejero.
Valencia looked to be heading for a comfortable win in Valladolid’s Jose Zorrilla stadium, but the hosts cut the deficit to 4-2 in the 66th when Angola striker Mateus "Manucho" Contreiras scored with his left foot.
Ricardo Leon scored in the 63rd minute to give Tenerife the win over nine-man Osasuna.
After a scoreless first half, Tenerife took control after Osasuna’s Ignacio Monreal was sent off for picking up his second yellow card in two minutes when he handled the ball.
Juan Francisco Martinez gave the host the lead from Ricardo Leon’s free kick after the ball bounced off Osasuna’s defensive wall, but Uruguay striker Walter Pandiani equalized for Osasuna with a header from a corner just four minutes later.
But Leon secured the win by sending a rocket past goalkeeper Ricardo Lopez, and Osasuna couldn’t respond after midfielder Javad Nekounam was sent off in the 72nd for a foul on Roman Martinez.
The match at Villarreal was marred by heavy rain which water-logged much of the field. Giuseppe Rossi struck the post for Villarreal with a free kick in the 10th, and then set up Santiago Cazorla with a pass from just outside the area in the 35th, but the Spain international shot wide.
The rain made play increasingly difficult and many supporters started leaving the Madrigal stadium as halftime approached. But Rossi gave the host the lead in the 54th with a left-foot shot after Israel goalkeeper Dudu Aouate failed to clear.
Villarreal seemed to have the game under control Mallorca equalized in the 75th when Borja Valero slotted home a long-range free kick that Aouate at full stretch.
Sporting clinched its first win of the season, after winger Diego Castro scored from a pass by Alberto Lora in the sixth.
A late winner by Brazilian midfielder Filipe Luis gave Deportivo La Coruna the win over Malaga.
David Prieto’s 31st-minute own-goal provided Athletic with a second straight one-goal victory in Sunday’s late game.
On Saturday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi led Barcelona to a 2-0 win at Getafe while Real Madrid beat Espanyol 3-0 after record signing Cristiano Ronaldo came on as a second-half substitute to score. Also it was: Atletico Madrid 1, Racing Santander 1 and Sevilla 4, Zaragoza 1.