Madrid trounce Deportivo 3-0, while Barca beat Betis 2-0 as Spain terror victims honoured with a minute silence
All football matches in Spain held a minute's silence to honor victims as the Spanish league began a new season under the shadow of recent attacks in Barcelona and a nearby coastal town.
Sunday's game in Barcelona became a focal point for a city insisting it won't be afraid.
Barcelona beat Real Betis 2-0, while defending champion Real Madrid eased to a 3-0 victory at Deportivo la Coruna.
HONOURING VICTIMS
Barcelona's players had the word "Barcelona" instead of their names on the back of their shirts, and the Catalan hashtag "TOTSSOMBARCElONA" (We are all Barcelona) was on display around the Camp Nou stadium. The message was also shown on the stadium's large screens, as well as on many banners carried by fans.
An emotional minute's silence was held before the game as the music of Catalan cellist Pau Casals played in the background.
Before the minute was up, the more than 55,000 fans at the stadium broke into a round of applause and began chanting "No tinc por" (I'm not afraid), a chant which has become a symbol of people's reaction to the attacks that killed 14 people and injured more than 120 in Barcelona and the nearby seaside resort of Cambrils.
Without Neymar and the injured luis Suarez, lionel Messi thrived and led the Catalan club to its comfortable victory.
He came agonizingly close to scoring his 350th la liga goal, but was denied by the woodwork three different times.
Barcelona scored goals three minutes apart near the end of the first half — an own-goal by Betis defender Alin Tosca and a close-range shot by Sergi Roberto. Barcelona was coming off consecutive losses to Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final.
BAlE lEADS WAY
Gareth Bale made the most of the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo by scoring one goal and setting up another to make sure Madrid got its title defense off to a winning start.
It was also an important opportunity for Bale to show that he should keep his spot in the starting 11 after Ronaldo completes the remaining three matches of his suspension for pushing a referee in the Spanish Super Cup. Francisco "Isco" Alarcon and Marco Asensio had superb performances to lead Madrid to both the European and Spanish Super Cups and they are putting pressure on Bale for his spot in the lineup.
After withstanding Deportivo's early surge, Bale provided the opening goal in the 20th when he tapped in a rebound.
Casemiro added a second goal seven minutes later, and Bale assisted Toni Kroos to round off the victory in the 63rd.
Madrid's easy win was only marred by Sergio Ramos being sent off in stoppage time when he picked up his second booking.
DISAPPOINTING START
Athletic Bilbao was held by Getafe to a 0-0 draw despite playing nearly 30 minutes with an extra man at its San Mames Stadium.
Getafe midfielder Alvaro Jimenez was sent off with a second yellow card in the 66th minute but Athletic was not able to take advantage.
Getafe claimed a first-half goal but the referee ruled that the ball did not cross the goalline.
Neymar slams Barca bosses
Paris: Paris Saint-Germain's world record signing Neymar launched a scathing attack on his former club's directors, saying "Barca deserve much better".
The people in charge at the Catalan giants "are not the people who should be there, for the direction of Barca," Neymar told reporters after scoring twice on his home debut as PSG thumped Toulouse 6-2 in ligue 1 on Sunday.
"I want to speak the truth, I'm very sad with them," said the Brazilian star who cost the Paris club a world record 222 million euros ($261 million) to prise from Barcelona.
"I spent four years there and I was very happy. At the start, I was happy. I spent four beautiful years there and I parted happy. But with them (the club's directors), no.
"For me, they are not the people who should be there, for the direction of Barca," said Neymar.
"Barca deserve much better and the whole world knows it."
Despite securing the massive fee for Neymar, Barcelona are struggling to replace him before the transfer window closes.
The club have had bids in excess of 100 million euros for liverpool's Philippe Coutinho and Dortmund's Ousmane Dembele turned down so far in this transfer window.
And the club have been criticised for splashing out 40 million euros ($47 million) for Brazil midfielder Paulinho, who has spent two years at Chinese Super league champions Guangzhou Evergrande.
But Neymar said he could not comment on what the club were doing before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
"I cannot speak now I am in another team. I don't know what's going on there, but I see my old teammates sad, and it's that which makes me sad because I have a lot of friends there," he said.
"I hope that things will improve for Barca and that they will become a team that can rival others."
However, former Tottenham flop Paulinho's arrival has not been warmly received by Barca fanatical supporters at the Camp Nou.
Over 80 percent of fans urged the club not to pay more than 20 million euros for Paulinho in a survey conducted by Barcelona sports daily Mundo Deportivo.