BARCELONA — Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez scored two goals each to fuel Real Madrid' 5-0 rout of Real Betis in its home opener Saturday, while Barcelona edged Malaga 1-0 in the Spanish League. Rodriguez picked out Bale to set the tone from the second minute and increased the lead with a vicious free kick from a tight angle in the 39th. After Karim Benzema made it 3-0 early in the second half, Rodriguez produced another brilliant strike with a bicycle kick to whip in his second goal in the 50th. Bale was not to be outdone and struck a blistering long ball while on the run that hit the upright before landing in the net with two minutes left. While Madrid eased to the convincing win, Barcelona needed Thomas Vermaelen to score his first goal for the defending champion to secure a second straight win at Camp Nou. Barcelona leads Madrid by two points after two rounds, but it was Celta Vigo that took the overnight lead on goal difference after crushing 10-man Rayo Vallecano 3-0. Madrid's victory was a relief for new coach Rafa Benitez, whose league debut last weekend ended in a frustrating scoreless draw at promoted Sporting Gijon. Betis, which also returned to the topflight this season, was no match for Madrid at its Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and with Rodriguez back in the starting lineup after Benitez had left him out of his first-choice 11 in Gijon. While Messi was Barcelona's most incisive player, Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo was oddly subdued. Neither rival has scored through two rounds. Malaga goalie Carlos Kameni had denied Messi on several occasions before Vermaelen broke through in the 73rd. Vermaelen started in place of the suspended Gerard Pique, and his goal marks quite a turnaround for a player who only appeared in the final league match of last season because of nagging injuries that had previously limited him before his arrival from Arsenal. Neymar, who played his first game of the season after recovering from the mumps, focused on setting up Messi and almost assisted him twice near the start of the second half. David Moyes' Real Sociedad is still searching for its first victory— and its first goal— after the Basque side drew 0-0 with Sporting. Celta was led to its big win by Manuel “Nolito” Agudo's two goals. Easy for Bayern Thomas Mueller celebrated his 200th Bundesliga match by netting twice as Bayern Munich eased past Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 to go top of the Bundesliga Saturday, its third win in three matches this season. A dazzling run by Douglas Costa, after a perfect 40-meter pass from Xabi Alonso, saw the Brazilian power past Roberto Hilbert before he cut the ball into the box for Mueller to score in the 26th minute. The host doubled its lead on the hour when the Germany forward grabbed his 76th league goal with a penalty. Dutchman Arjen Robben then made it 3-0 from the spot in the 71st. “We played a very good game. We worked hard this whole week and they had just two chances in the game which is crazy,” Bayern coach Pep Guardiola told reporters. Reims goes top Reims and Rennes moved alongside idle Paris Saint-Germain on nine points at the top of Ligue 1 Saturday. Reims, which won the last of their six French titles in 1962, was too strong for winless Lorient as it triumphed 4-1, while Rennes scored two second-half goals thanks to Sylvain Armand and Giovanni Sio to defeat Toulouse 3-1. Reims top the table on goals scored ahead of PSG with Rennes just behind on goal difference. Earlier, French international Nabil Fekir scored a hat trick as Lyon rumbled to a 4-0 win at Caen and climbed to a tie for fifth with Bastia and Nantes, who both play Sunday away to Saint-Etienne and Bordeaux respectively. In other matches Saturday, promoted Angers maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-1 draw at home to Nice and lie fourth while Troyes and Montpellier finished scoreless. In the only other match of the day, former Zambia and Ivory Coast handler Herve Renard enjoyed his first win as Lille coach where a 23rd minute goal from Sofiane Boufal was enough to see off Gazelec-Ajaccio 1-0 in the north of the country. At Caen, Lyon's Corentin Tolisso helped set up two of Fekir's goals on a day when new signing Mathieu Valbuena was also on display. Guadaloupean-born 27-year-old Claudio Beauvue was also on the scoresheet as Hubert Fournier's side got back to winning ways following a 2-1 home loss to Rennes last time out. AC Milan beats Empoli Two of AC Milan's new forwards combined to give the Rossoneri a 2-1 win at Empoli Saturday, but Mario Balotelli remained on the bench following his return from Liverpool last week. Carlos Bacca, who joined from Sevilla for 30 million euros ($33.5 million), put Milan in front in the 17th minute but the home side's lead lasted just four minutes before Riccardo Saponara leveled against his old club. Milan was whistled off the pitch at halftime but Luiz Adriano, who had set up Bacca's opener, headed in what was to prove the winner in the 69th. Balotelli's debut could instead come in the derby against Inter Milan — the club he grew up at — after the international break. Earlier, Sassuolo won 1-0 at newly-promoted Bologna. — Agencies
