Spain round-up: Dream debut for Beckham

David Beckham made a dream Primera División debut for Real Madrid CF at the weekend, scoring after just two minutes and helping to set up the winning goal in a 2-1 defeat of Real Betis Balompié at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Perfect start
Just as the 70,000 crowd had settled into their seats, Ronaldo broke down the left, exchanged passes with Raúl González and crossed for the England captain to side-foot into the net.

Juanito equaliser
Betis recovered from the early setback and fought their way back as the half wore on, gaining a deserved equaliser when defender Juanito edged in front of Esteban Cambiasso to power in a header from a Joaquín Sánchez corner in the 34th minute.

Ronaldo winner
Beckham, however, capped his impressive performance by beginning the move that led to the winner, with Zinedine Zidane putting Ronaldo in a position to smash in a volley from close range in the 62nd minute.

Narrow win
New-look FC Barcelona were forced to dig deep to claim a narrow 1-0 win over Athletic Club Bilbao in an entertaining match at San Mamés that featured the league debut of Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho. Dutch midfielder Philip Cocu scored the only goal of the game with a glancing header after a free-kick from fellow countryman Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the 12th minute.

Sociedad comeback
Real Sociedad, runners-up last season, had to fight back from a goal behind to earn a 1-1 draw against RCD Espanyol at the Olímpico stadium.

Womé opener
Cameroon defender Pierre Womé put the home side ahead with a deflected free-kick in the 23rd minute, but the Basque side's new signing Lee Chun-Soo created the equaliser for the visitors after the break.

Aimar leveller
Valencia CF, meanwhile, looked to be heading for defeat against Real Valladolid but Argentinian playmaker Pablo Aimar popped up to score a late equaliser 13 minutes from time in a 1-1 draw. The away side took the lead after 25 minutes when Franciso Sousa outpaced the home defence to slot past Santiago Cañizares.

Pandiani strike
Striker Walter Pandiani came off the bench to earn RC Deportivo La Coruña a 1-0 win at promoted Real Zaragoza. The Uruguayan centre-forward, who was recalled from a loan spell at RCD Mallorca to help make up for the departure of Roy Makaay, headed the only goal after 67 minutes of an even game.

Celta draw
RC Celta de Vigo had a less successful start against Real Murcia CF in a 1-1 draw. The Galician side went ahead through a Savo Milosevic header after 32 minutes but the visitors kept plugging away and got the equaliser midway through the second half when Luis García scored from the spot.

Other games
Real Racing Club Santander began with a 2-1 win at home over Mallorca, while Club Atlético de Madrid were defeated 1-0 at Sevilla FC. Club Atlético Osasuna brushed aside newly promoted Albacete Balompié 2-0 after goals from Valdo and a Francisco Puñal penalty. Málaga CF, meanwhile, battled out a scoreless draw with Villarreal CF at La Rosaleda.