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Sports Mole's La Liga Team of the Week

Sports Mole picks out its 11 star performers from week one of La Liga.

Real Madrid and Barcelona both won in La Liga's opening round of fixtures, but champions Atletico Madrid were held to a goalless draw at Rayo Vallecano on an incident-filled start to the new 2014-15 campaign.

The action started on Saturday evening, with Malaga beating Champions League hopefuls Athletic Bilbao - who had a late equaliser from goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz controversially disallowed - before Granada came from a goal behind to beat newly-promoted Deportivo La Coruna.

Back-to-back 1-1 draws arrived in the final two games of the night, with Valencia holding Sevilla at the Estadio Ramon and Espanyol picking up a point at Almeria.

On Sunday, Eibar picked up their first-ever La Liga win with a 1-0 success over Real Sociedad, before Barcelona beat Elche 3-0 at the Camp Nou.

Celta Vigo also got off to a winning start with a 3-1 victory over Getafe, before the night's events were concluded in Valencia, where Villarreal beat Levante 2-0.

Real Madrid matched Barcelona's tally of three points with a 2-0 win over Cordoba on Monday, but Atletico could not break down a spirited Rayo in the capital.

Here, Sports Mole picks out its 11 star performers from Spain's leading division.

Carlos Kameni (Malaga)
The Cameroonian was a surprise starter for Malaga in Saturday's 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, with new signing Guillermo Ochoa, who impressed for Mexico at the World Cup, named on the bench. Kameni certainly took the opportunity with both hands, making a number of brilliant saves to help his side pick up all three points.

Juan Angel Crespo (Cordoba)
Crespo was of a number of players making his Cordoba debut at the Bernabeu and the defender picked up Sports Mole's man of the match award. The full-back was defensively sound in the capital, while he also proved a threat down the other end. It was a fine all-round display.
Jean-Sylvain Babin (Granada)
The powerful centre-back made a big impression on his Granada debut, registering what proved to be winner in his side's 2-1 win over Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday. Babin looked incredibly mobile across the ground and a real physical presence in the air.
Abdoulaye Ba (Rayo Vallecano)
The 23-year-old was a tower of strength on his Rayo debut against Atletico. He saw off the threat of both Mario Mandzukic and Raul Jimenez, while he was also calm and composed in possession of the ball. The centre-back looks to be a shrewd signing by the capital outfit.

Javi Lara (Eibar)
It was Lara's brilliant strike against Real Sociedad on Saturday that secured what proved to be Eibar's first La Liga win in their history. The midfielder radiated class each time he had possession of the ball and looks set to make a big impact in Spain's top league.
Daniel Parejo (Valencia)
When his side were reduced to 10 men with 25 minutes remaining at Sevilla, Parejo came to the forefront, controlling possession from the middle of the park and threatening with a series of dangerous free kicks. He played a key role in helping Valencia claim a late point.
Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona)
The Croatian set up Munir El Haddadi for Barcelona's second in Monday's 3-0 win over Elche and made a big impression during his league debut for the Catalan outfit. Seen as the natural successor to Xavi and made his mark with a box-to-box all-round performance at the Camp Nou.
Javier Aquino (Rayo Vallecano)
Gave the Atletico defenders a torrid time in the second half of Monday's goalless draw in Madrid. It was a surprise that Villarreal let the Mexican leave this summer and Rayo will be pinching themselves at securing a player of his quality on loan. Delivered cross after cross as he showed his quality on the ball.

Manucho (Real Valladolid)
The former Manchester United striker was only given the second period of Monday's 0-0 draw with Atletico, but he made a serious impact. It was a disappointment that the free signing could not find the back of the net with any of his chances, but he caused panic in the Atletico box with an all-round centre-forward's display.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Did not take long to get up-and-running in terms of goals for the new La Liga season, scoring twice in Monday's 3-0 win over Elche. Both of the Argentine's strikes were of the highest order, while he also set up a number of chances for his teammates. Looked a much happier player than last season.
Joaquin Larrivey (Celta Vigo)
Celta beat off a host of competition to sign the powerful forward on a free transfer this summer and he opened his tally for the club in Sunday's 3-1 win over Getafe. The away side just could not deal with Larrivey's physicality in the final third.

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Atletico Madrid's players celebrate after scoring during the UEFA Champions League Final Real Madrid vs Atletico de Madrid at Luz stadium in Lisbon, on May 24, 2014
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona13110240122833
2Real Madrid1283125111427
3Atletico MadridAtletico137511971226
4Villarreal127322319424
5Osasuna136341720-321
6Athletic Bilbao135531913620
7Real BetisBetis135531412220
8Real Sociedad135351110118
9Mallorca135351010018
10GironaGirona135351617-118
11Celta Vigo135262022-217
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15Getafe142751011-113
16AlavesAlaves134181422-813
17Las PalmasLas Palmas133371622-612
18Espanyol123181122-1110
19Real ValladolidValladolid142391027-179
20Valencia11146817-97


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