Atletico Madrid made a poor start to their defence of the Spanish league title with a disappointing 0-0 draw on Monday at local rivals Rayo Vallecano.
Earlier on Monday, Real Madrid kicked off with a comfortable 2-0 home defeat of newly promoted Cordoba on goals from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Atletico never looked comfortable in Vallecas, especially after Mario Mandzukic had missed their only two chances in the first half.
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Rayo dominated a scrappy second half but failed to find a way past Atletico keeper Miguel Angel Moya.
It was a return to earth for Atletico after their defeat of Real last week in the Spanish Super Cup.
“The important thing was to start out with a win, and this is what we’ve done. We were in control, with a mix of possession and direct attacks,” Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said.
Ancelotti opted for veteran Iker Casillas in goal instead of new signing Keylor Navas, and raised eyebrows by leaving midfield anchorman Xabi Alonso on the bench.
Real were in the driving seat from the first minute, and Benzema broke the deadlock by heading in a corner from Toni Kroos on the half hour.
Mike Havenaar almost equalised just before the interval for Cordoba - who are back in the top flight after a 42-year absence.
Real dominated the second half, and Ronaldo sealed the win by making it 2-0 two minutes from time with a tremendous 25-metre drive, which gave Cordoba keeper Juan Carlos no chance.