Spain round-up: Madrid stumble at Santander

Real Madrid CF missed their opportunity to top the Primera División as they lost 2-0 at Real Racing Club Santander, while Valencia CF were held at Club Atlético de Madrid.

Unlikely win
The European champions prepared for their UEFA Champions League game against AEK Athens on Tuesday in the worst possible way as goals either side of half-time saw Santander earn an unlikely victory at the El Sardinero stadium. The defeat was Madrid's first of the season.

Weakened side
Medhi Nafti skipped past Esteban Cambiasso and Iván Helguera before spinning a neat pass into the area to leave the unmarked Mario Regueiro to score with a first-time shot three minutes before half-time and, without Raúl González, Luis Figo and Ronaldo, Madrid struggled to battle their way back into the game.

Joy for Munitis
Vicente del Bosque's side found themselves even further behind just seven minutes after the interval as Pedro Munitis - on loan at Santander from Madrid after a season of frustration on the bench at the Santiago Bernabeú stadium - scored a second goal to seal a famous victory for Santander.

Superb chip
Munitis raced through the Madrid offside trap before producing a beautiful left-footed chip to beat Iker Casillas and confirm Santander's dominance. Indeed, the home side could easily have added to their lead as Madrid failed to deal with their hosts' dynamic style.

Valencia held
Valencia could have taken top spot in the table if they had won at Atlético but they were forced to settle for just a point. One-time Atlético midfield player Ruben Baraja had opened the scoring for the reigning champions with a fierce shot from a corner late in the first half, but Javi Moreno bundled the ball into the Valencia net 15 minutes from time to level the scores.

Joy for Villarreal

Late goal
Benito Floro's side proceeded to take control of the game, and Víctor gave them the lead from the penalty spot after Noureddine Naybet was adjudged to have handled the ball. Despite being reduced to ten men on 80 minutes when defender Unai was sent off for hauling back substitute Alberto Luque, Villarreal sealed the points three minutes from time when Brazilian international Juliano Belletti headed home a Javier Calleja cross at the far post.