Madrid, Sep 14 (IANS) FC Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the season with a 4-2 win away to Levante, while Real Madrid also won and La Liga saw its first managerial casualty of the campaign.

Atletico Madrid won 3-0 away to Real Sociedad thanks to an 84th-minute penalty from Alejandro Grimaldo and a debut goal from Jonathan David, which settled an otherwise even contest.

Deportivo La Coruna remained unbeaten on its return to La Liga after a 1-1 draw away to Getafe.

Here are four things we learned from Matchday 5 in La Liga.

1. Raphinha takes control

Although Lamine Yamal’s two goals grabbed the headlines, Raphinha was again Barcelona’s standout player at the Ciudad de Valencia Stadium, reports Xinhua.

The Brazilian, who was left off the recent list of Ballon d’Or nominees, was at the heart of Barcelona’s first-half attacking play and set up Xavi Espart and Yamal for the goals that gave his side a 2-0 lead after just 19 minutes.

A muscle injury denied Raphinha the chance to impress at the World Cup, but it also means he has started the new season in flying form for his club.

2. Cruise control for Real Madrid

Real Madrid enjoyed a comfortable Saturday night at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium against Rayo Vallecano in a game that was effectively over by the time Kylian Mbappe and Alvaro Carreras had put Jose Mourinho’s side 2-0 ahead after just 17 minutes.

A Rayo side missing several key players struggled to offer much resistance, and the home fans could enjoy halftime with the result already looking secure after Jude Bellingham scored Real Madrid’s third before the break.

Real Madrid’s attacking firepower means there could be plenty more days like this at the Bernabeu. The bigger questions will come when it faces tougher opposition later in the season.

3. Inigo Vicente pulls the strings for Racing Santander

Racing Santander have two home wins since returning to La Liga after Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Deportivo Alaves, which would have gone top of the table had it held on to the lead given by Ville Koski’s opening goal.

Although Racing striker Yassir Zabiri will take much of the credit after scoring his fourth and fifth goals of the campaign, midfielder Inigo Vicente was involved in both goals, setting up Zabiri for the equalizer before playing the pass that led to Salinas assisting the winner.

The former Athletic Bilbao midfielder had played less than 90 minutes in the top flight before this season. Although he consistently impressed in the second tier, there were doubts over whether he could make the step up.

Vicente’s performances so far should have gone a long way toward answering them.

4. Corberan pays the price

Valencia coach Carlos Corberan on Sunday became the first La Liga coach to be sacked this season, with his side bottom of the table on just one point from five games following Friday’s 1-0 defeat to Sevilla.

Valencia produced another poor performance and failed to register a shot on target against a Sevilla side that was hardly at its best.

Friday’s defeat followed last weekend’s humiliation at home to Barcelona. Although Corberan was not solely responsible for poor squad planning, with sporting director Ron Gourlay also sacked, and has had to contend with an injury crisis, Valencia have lacked a clear style or identity and the players have looked increasingly short of confidence.

–IANS

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