Espanyol secured a home victory against Levante, while Racing Santander earned a draw against Villarreal in their return to La Liga.
Key facts
- •Roberto Fernandez scored two goals for Espanyol in their 3-0 victory over Levante.
- •Marc Santos became Levante's youngest-ever La Liga player at 15 years old.
- •Racing Santander returned to La Liga after a 14-year absence.
- •Villarreal erased a two-goal deficit with strikes from Pape Gueye and Nicolas Pepe before halftime.
- •Tyrhys Dolan scored the final goal of the Espanyol-Levante match in the 80th minute.
Espanyol began the 2026-27 La Liga season with a 3-0 home win over Levante at RCDE Stadium on Sunday. Meanwhile, newly promoted Racing Santander marked its return to the top flight after a 14-year absence by securing a 2-2 draw against Villarreal at El Sardinero.
By the numbers
Espanyol secures comfortable home win
Roberto Fernandez led the way for Espanyol, scoring in the 5th minute following an Edu Exposito free-kick and adding a second goal in the 40th minute off a pass from Javi Hernandez. Tyrhys Dolan finalized the scoring in the 80th minute after a counterattack set up by Rafa Bauza. Despite Levante coach Luis Castro making several attacking substitutions, the team was unable to overcome Espanyol's defense. During the match, Levante's Marc Santos made his La Liga debut at 15 years old, becoming the youngest player to represent the club in the competition.
Racing Santander holds Villarreal to draw
Racing Santander took an early lead against Villarreal with a 21st-minute penalty from Andres Martin and a 34th-minute strike from 19-year-old Sergio Martinez. Villarreal responded quickly before the break, with Pape Gueye scoring in the 45th minute and Nicolas Pepe equalizing during first-half stoppage time. The second half remained scoreless despite Racing Santander creating several opportunities.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Anadolu Agency Sport.
