MADRID, Oct 30: Girona earned a shock victory over Real Madrid that was celebrated by many throughout Catalonia on Sunday.

The small Catalan club stunned Madrid, the team of the Spanish establishment, with a 2-1 come-from-behind win in the Spanish league — just days after the wealthy northeastern region declared independence to heighten tensions in a dispute with the central government.

Pro-independence politicians were quick to celebrate.

“Girona’s victory over one of the great teams in the world is an example and a reference for many situations,” tweeted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont.

It was Madrid’s first trip to Catalonia since Spain’s political crisis escalated. The match was played after hundreds of thousands of Catalans took to the streets of Barcelona to voice their opposition to the unilateral declaration of independence. Catalonia’s political leadership was fired by central authorities in Madrid who are trying to tame the worst political turmoil Spain has seen in decades.

“Today, all of Spain and a great part of the world saw that a small team can achieve anything in this great game of football when it does things well, when it has ambition and pride,” Girona coach Pablo Machin said.

The result left Madrid eight points behind Spanish league leader Barcelona, which on Saturday won 2-0 at Athletic Bilbao for its ninth victory in 10 league matches.

Second-place Valencia, which won 2-1 at Alaves on Saturday, is four points off the lead.

“We can still overcome this,” Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “We will have better days and our rivals will eventually lose points.”

Despite security concerns ahead of the Spanish capital team’s visit to Girona, a city filled with separatist sentiment just north of Barcelona, there were no major incidents before, during or after the game.

Several pro-independence flags were on display at the small Montilivi Stadium, and the crowd sang “freedom” chants, but nothing disrupted the match. A few Real Madrid supporters could be seen mixed with the local fans in the stands.

Most in the crowd of nearly 14,000 were on their feet throughout the final minutes, and celebrated loudly when the final whistle was blown.

Girona, in its inaugural season in the first division, played well from the start, keeping Madrid from imposing its game.

It almost opened the scoring just before Madrid’s first goal in the 12th minute, when Pablo Maffeo’s shot struck the far post. The Madrid defense picked up the rebound and started a quick counterattack which culminated with Isco scoring a few seconds later after Cristiano Ronaldo’s shot was partly saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

The hosts turned the match around with quick goals early in the second half. Veteran striker Christian Stuani equalized with a low shot from inside the area in the 54th, and Portu netted the winner four minutes later from close range. Replays showed that Portu was slightly offside.

“We struggled a lot,” Madrid midfielder Casemiro said. “It’s a complicated moment, but we have to stay calm. We need to start playing better, we need to work harder.”

Lucas Vazquez had a goal disallowed for offside in the 83rd.

Girona, 12th in the standings with 12 points, had already hit the post in the first half.

Girona made a promising start to its top-flight debut, earning a draw against Atletico Madrid and a win at Malaga to give fans hopes of a successful season, but it went on a six-game winless streak until defeating Deportivo La Coruna last week.

Midfielder Recio converted an 83rd-minute penalty kick and Malaga defeated Celta Vigo 2-1 for its first win in 11 matches this season.

Malaga left the bottom of the standings with the win, moving a point above Alaves.

Striker Jorge Molina scored with an 85th-minute penalty kick to give Getafe a 2-1 home victory over Real Sociedad, snapping the club’s four-game winless streak.

Both teams are in the middle of the table.

Mid-table Levante relinquished a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at struggling Eibar, which hasn’t won in seven matches. AP

BARCELONA, Oct 29: Lionel Messi scored again and Barcelona won again, though in lackluster fashion and by 2-0 at Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish league on Saturday.

Messi netted his 12th league goal in the first half, and Paulinho in added time.

“Leo has an incredible capability to tilt the scale. We are lucky to have the world’s best player with us,” coach Ernesto Valverde said.

The Catalan club’s ninth win in 10 rounds strengthened its lead back to a four-point cushion over Valencia.

Valencia won at Alaves 2-1, its seventh straight in all competitions, thanks to Simone Zaza’s opening goal before halftime.

The Italian striker trailed only Messi on the goal-scoring list with eight, but it was teammate Rodrigo Moreno who notched the game-winner with a penalty shot in the second half.

Atletico Madrid was still undefeated and ranked fourth after notching its fifth draw, 1-1 at home versus Villarreal.

Atletico hasn’t lost in 14 straight games and faces another pressure match on Tuesday, against Qarabag in the Champions League.

MESSI BY THE DOZEN

Messi again showcased his multi skillset with a dazzling display of playmaking and finishing while leading Barcelona to another league win.

The Argentine star first volleyed a long shot into Kepa Arrizabalaga’s hands, later hit the near post after combining with Luis Suarez and dribbling by the goalkeeper, and finally scored on a low one-tap strike after a cross from left back Jordi Alba.

Messi initialized the scoring play and also assisted Paulinho on a clear chance that the Brazilian whiffed on, hitting the crossbar.

But Aritz Aduriz’s miss was more costly for Bilbao, which could have taken the lead in the early going if its top striker had been able to beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen one-on-one.

Barcelona capitalized on a Messi-led counterattack and shot by Suarez, which the keeper was unable to corral, and Paulinho pounced on for the empty-netter.

SIZZLIN’ ZAZA

After a slow start to the season, Zaza has scored in six consecutive matches.

Valencia has won six straight in La Liga, outscoring opponents 23-8. It was coming off a 2-0 win over second-division club Zaragoza in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday.

ATLETICO BLOWs IT

Antoine Griezmann had the best early chance for Atletico when he hit the post, and Saul Niguez was unable to cash in the rebound, stuffed by defender Victor Ruiz in the goalmouth. And just before halftime, a powerful header by Diego Godin forced a brilliant save from Mariano Barbosa.

Unable to score, Griezmann excelled as a playmaker in the second half, and lobbed a one-touch pass towards forward Angel Correa, who deftly controlled the ball on the run and swiped a strike between the keeper’s left shoulder and the nearest post for the lead.

It could have been two for Atletico had Kevin Gameiro done the same shortly after, but he shot straight at Barbosa and the miss proved costly.

“We couldn’t close it,” Correa said. “We were unlucky.”

Carlos Bacca tied the score with 10 minutes left when he outjumped Godin on a corner cross and beat a retreating Jan Oblak.

“Atletico had to come out and dominate, but we played well and made it a close game,” Bacca said. “The draw is good for us.”

SEVILLA NOW SIXTH

Sevilla beat Leganes 2-1 and climbed over the latter into sixth spot.

MADRID, Aug 28: Marco Asensio was impressive again, but his two remarkable goals were enough only to salvage a 2-2 draw against Valencia in Real Madrid’s home opener in the Spanish league on Sunday.

Asensio scored the second of his two goals from a free kick in the 83rd minute at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

The disappointing result left the defending champions two points behind Real Sociedad, Barcelona and Leganes — the three teams which have won each of their first two matches.

“We deserved more, but you can’t always win,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “We had several clear chances to score but couldn’t do it. I’m not happy with the result but I’m proud of the game we played.”

Asensio scored Madrid’s opener in the 10th with a neat run through the middle after a defensive blunder by Valencia. Asensio calmly finished with a well-placed left-foot shot into the left corner.

His second goal came only six minutes after Valencia had taken a 2-1 lead. He struck a low free kick that went around the wall and was too much for Valencia goalkeeper Neto.

“We let two points escape,” Madrid right back Dani Carvajal said.

Valencia, coming off a 1-0 win against Las Palmas in the opener, equalized a few minutes after Asensio’s first goal with a close-range shot by Carlos Soler. The visitors went ahead in the second half with a low strike from inside the area by French midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia.

“Both teams could have ended with the victory,” Valencia coach Marcelino said. “But the draw turned out to be a good result for us and I’m proud of my players.”

Madrid struggled offensively without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo. Karim Benzema wasted opportunities in front of the goal, including from close-range in the 88th. His injury-time header struck the post after being tipped by the goalkeeper.

Neto had already made a great save against Luka Modric’s strike from just outside the area midway through the second half.

A few minutes later, it was Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas who brilliantly stopped a free kick shot by Valencia midfielder Dani Parejo.

Before the game, Madrid was officially handed the La Liga trophy it won last season.

Madrid, which had opened with a 3-0 win at Deportivo La Coruna, was without suspended defender Sergio Ramos.

On Saturday, Barcelona won 2-0 at Alaves with a pair of goals by Lionel Messi. Atletico Madrid earned its first league victory with a 5-1 rout at Las Palmas.

LATE WINNER

Paulo Henrique Ganso scored with a brilliant touch in the 83rd minute to give Sevilla a 1-0 win at Getafe.

The Brazilian midfielder neatly redirected the ball into the net after a low cross from the right, securing Sevilla its first league victory.

Sevilla was coming off a disappointing 1-1 home draw against Espanyol.

Getafe had opened with a 0-0 draw at Athletic Bilbao.

IMPRESSIVE START

Leganes defeated Espanyol 1-0 Sunday to continue its perfect start in the Spanish league.

Argentine defender Martin Mantovani scored in the first half to give Leganes the away victory.

It was the second straight win for Leganes, which made its first-division debut last season.

“It’s the type of game that is worth more than three points, it’s an incredible result,” Mantovani said. “We are off to a very good start. We worked very hard in the offseason for this. We can’t get too excited, but it gives us motivation to keep working.”

Mantovani said he forgot to honor his pregnant wife during the goal celebration, having promised her to put the ball under his shirt if he scored.

“She is going to kill me,” he said, smiling.

WINNING AGAIN

Athletic Bilbao improved from its opening draw at home by defeating Eibar 1-0 with a first-half goal by Aritz Aduriz.

The veteran striker scored with a close-range header at Eibar’s Ipurua Stadium.

Eibar opened with a 1-0 win at Malaga.

MADRID, Aug 27: Lionel Messi missed a penalty kick but rebounded by scoring his record 350th goal in the Spanish league in Barcelona’s 2-0 win at Alaves on Saturday.

Messi also scored the second in leading the club to its second consecutive victory to start the league.

Barcelona was still without Ousmane Dembele, who was announced as Neymar’s replacement on Friday, and it also couldn’t count on the injured Luis Suarez.

With Messi as its lone star, Barcelona struggled in the beginning at Mendizorroza Stadium, but it gradually took control and cruised to victory following Messi’s pair of second-half goals.

“We overcame a tough test,” Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. “It was difficult to get the first goal, we had to be patient.”

Messi missed the penalty when his mid-height shot into the left corner was saved by the fingertips of Alaves goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco.

Alaves, who surprised last season as a promoted club by finishing ninth in the league and reaching the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona, opened with a 1-0 loss at Leganes.

Brazil midfielder Paulinho, signed by Barcelona for 40 million euros ($47.2 million) in the offseason, came into the match as a substitute late in the second half to make his official club debut.

Messi scored the milestone goal in La Liga more than 12 years after his first, when he was only 17.

He has 66 more than Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, his closest challenger in the all-time list.

Messi is only the second player to have surpassed 350 goals in the top five European leagues, after Bayern Munich’s Gerd Mueller, who ended his career with 365 in the Bundesliga.

Messi has at least one Spanish league goal in 14 straight seasons.

He opened the scoring in the second half after receiving a pass from Jordi Alba inside the area and firing a left-footed shot into the corner. The second came after a blunder by the Alaves defense about 10 minutes later.

Messi later also hit the crossbar from just inside the area. He hit the woodwork three times in Barcelona’s opening win over Real Betis last week, but he was yet to score in the league this season.

Defending champion Real Madrid, which also won its opener, hosts Valencia on Sunday.

RED-HOT START

Two goals in the first five minutes put Atletico Madrid on track for a comfortable 5-1 win at Las Palmas. It was the first league win for Atletico, which opened with a 2-2 draw at promoted Girona.

It was the second consecutive loss for Las Palmas.

LOST LEAD

Ten-man Levante rallied from two goals down to earn a 2-2 home draw against Deportivo La Coruna.

Deportivo was ahead 2-0 after the first half hour, but Levante pulled closer before halftime and equalized following a controversial penalty kick call in the 83rd at Ciutat de Valencia Stadium.

Ivan “Ivi” Lopez converted the penalty to keep the hosts unbeaten.

Midfielder Jose Luis Morales was sent off with a second yellow card in the 76th.

MAIDEN WIN

Girona beat Malaga 1-0 for its first win in the Spanish league. Girona was on its way to victory in its opener against Atletico Madrid but relinquished a 2-0 lead despite playing with an extra man. AP