Cádiz 1 - Real Madrid 2

Cádiz: Armando; Varela, De Quintana, Abraham Paz, Mario Silva; Fleurquín, Suárez (Benjamín 55'); Enrique (Estoyanoff 55'), Pavoni, Jonathan Sesma; Oli (Alexander Medina 78'). 4-2-3-1.
Madrid: Casillas; Michel Salgado, Iván Helguera, Pavón, Roberto Carlos; Beckham, Gravesen (Robinho 65'), Zidane, Baptista; Raúl, Ronaldo. 4-4-2.

Goals:
0-1. 04. Ronaldo. Picked up pass from Zidane and fired low shot past Armando.
1-1. 59. Pavoni. Hooked ball past Casillas after Oli headed on corner.
1-2. 85. Raúl. Turned ball into net after Ronaldo squared pass across goal.

Real Madrid started off the season with a 1-2 win at Cádiz, although it was not an easy victory against a side who battled all the way. Luemburgo decided to leave Michael Owen up in the stands, a clear message that he will have to move on, and drafted new signing Robinho onto the bench just a couple of days after he joined the club. And the young Brazilian proved his worth almost immediately, coming on in the second half to delight the spectators and have an important part in the winning goal.

Ronaldo it was though who gave the visitors an early lead, picking a pass in from Zidane to make space and fire a low shot past Armando. But they could not add any more, and urged on by a capacity crowd, the locals started to gain in confidence. Enrique tested Casillas with a couple of free kicks, Oli was creating problems for the defence in the air and Casillas had to turn another effort from Sesma for a corner shortly before the break.

The pressure from the locals continued after the restart, and eventually they got their reward when Oli headed on a corner and Pavoni hooked the ball in to the net. But Luxemburgo decided to bring on Robinho, and the game changed direction. The new man revitalized his side with a series of dribbles and deft touches, and five minutes from the end he collected Beckham's long pass and left the ball at the feet of Ronaldo. Everybody expected him to shoot, but he unselfishly squared the ball across for Raúl to shoot into the empty net.

There was still time for Robinho to bamboozle the defence once again, on this occasion Iván Helguera taking his pass and firing a shot against the crossbar. But Madrid had done enough, and they already outdistance last year's champions Barcelona by two points. A long way to go yet, but whatever happens, with Robinho on board it promises to be an exciting season.