MADRID – Athletic Bilbao ended a dreadful early-season run when Aritz Aduriz and Markel Susaeta struck in a 2-0 win at home to Real Valladolid Sunday that lifted the Basque club off the bottom of La Liga. Aduriz pounced on a loose ball to fire Bilbao ahead in the 69th minute at a sun-drenched San Mames and Susaeta curled the ball into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area six minutes later. It was a morale-boosting victory for Marcelo Bielsa's side, which had struggled to reproduce the sparkling form that took them to the final of both the Europa League and the King's Cup last season and had conceded nine goals in losing their opening two La Liga matches to Real Betis and Atletico Madrid. Bielsa, a former Argentina coach, and his players have been distracted by the protracted transfer sagas involving Spain pair Javi Martinez and Fernando Llorente. Martinez, a versatile midfielder who can also play in defence, rescinded his contract at a cost of 40 million euros ($50.42 million) and joined Bundesliga side Bayern Munich last week, while burly striker Llorente failed to find another club and remains with Bilbao for now. Rayo Vallecano, which won its opening two games, drew 0-0 at home to Sevilla in the early kickoff but was lucky to escape with a point after goalkeeper Ruben was dismissed in the 69th minute. Rayo are third on seven points, level with Real Mallorca and Malaga, which won 1-0 Saturday against Real Sociedad and Real Zaragoza respectively. Malaga beat Zaragoza 1-0 thanks to Ignacio Camacho's second-half header, keeping the Costa del Sol side undefeated in the Spanish league despite a tumultuous offseason and the exit of several key players. Right back Eliseu Pereira capped his strong overall performance by directing a corner kick to Camacho, who headed in from the near post in the 56th minute. Valladolid has six points in fifth, level with Barcelona. In other matches, Celta Vigo downed Osasuna 2-0, while Getafe drew 1-1 at Deportivo La Coruna. Lyon tops standings Tottenham Hotspur-bound Hugo Lloris said an emotional farewell as Olympique Lyon went top of Ligue 1 with a 3-2 victory over Valenciennes Saturday while champion Montpellier claimed its first win of the season. France goalkeeper Lloris, who joined Spurs Friday, was given a rousing reception by the home fans when he walked on to the Stade Gerland pitch. “I wanted to thank you for my four years here. There are always great fans supporting a great club and Lyon will always need you,” Lloris told a packed crowd after striker Lisandro Lopez handed him a jersey saying ‘Thanks Hugo' on the back. Lyon has 10 points from four games, one ahead of second-placed Olympique Marseille, while Valenciennes is fifth on seven points. Playmaker Younes Belhanda inspired Montpellier as it won 3-1 at bottom club Sochaux. Former Barcelona forward Ludovic Giuly shone as Lorient hammered Nancy 3-0 to move up to third on eight points. St Etienne won 3-0 at Bastia while Toulouse were held to a disappointing 1-1 home draw by promoted Stade Reims. — Agencies
