Messi grabs unwanted hat-trick in Barcelona win

Lionel Messi pulled the strings in Barcelona's season-opening win in La Liga, despite suffering the indignity of a rare hat-trick of misses.

Barcelona got the new campaign off to a winning start after beating Real Betis 2-0 in a subdued atmosphere at the Nou Camp.

The match marked the first game since the deadly Barcelona terror attacks in the Catalan capital and the town of Cambrils.

Betis defender Alin Tosca diverted a cross from the lively Gerard Deulofeu into his own net to put Barca ahead in the 36th minute.

The former Everton forward, who returned to his boyhood club this summer, also laid on the pass for the second goal which was smashed in by Sergi Roberto in the 39th.

With Neymar gone, Messi was at the heart of the majority of Barca's attacking forays, particularly in the absence of Luiz Suarez and Andres Iniesta.

On any other day the Argentine maestro would have scored a hat-trick but he hit the woodwork on three separate occasions in both halves.

Despite the win there was a subdued feeling at the Nou Camp before and during the game with only 56,480 supporters going to the 99,000-capacity arena.

The club announced it had granted fans' requests to return tickets in the wake of Thursday's attacks, which killed 14 people and injured more than 100.

Gareth Bale scored one goal and set up another as Real Madrid started their LaLiga title defence with a confident 3-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna.

Madrid were without suspended talisman Cristiano Ronaldo for the trip to the Riazor, but it made little difference to the European champions as they reclaimed their familiar place atop the standings at the end of the opening weekend.

Bale notched the opener in the 20th minute and another close-range tap-in, this time from Casemiro seven minutes later, saw Real in control before the half-hour was up.

Bale then assisted Toni Kroos for Real's third goal just after the hour to complete the scoring, although there was still time for some late drama with Depor striker Florin Andone missing a penalty before Real saw captain Sergio Ramos sent off.

The skipper was sent off after picking up a second yellow card following an aerial challenge with Borja Valle, but the points were already in the bag.

Athletic Club and Getafe fought out a scoreless draw.