Salva Sevilla's early free-kick saw Espanyol join Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga, while Valencia could not break down Rayo Vallecano.
Espanyol defeated Getafe 1-0 thanks to Sevilla's well-taken set piece at the Power8 Stadium, while Atletico Madrid won by the same margin over Las Palmas, as the second teams in both the Spanish and Catalan capitals claimed top spot on just the second day of the 2015-16 season.
A foul in just the second minute on the edge of the box led to Espanyol's goal, with Sevilla impressively getting the ball up and over the wall but under the crossbar to score.
At the Vicente Calderon, a free-kick again decided the match 1-0, with Antoine Griezmann needing some luck to give Atleti victory.
Griezmann's effort wrong-footed Las Palmas goalkeeper Raul Lizoain in the 16th minute after it clipped the top of the wall.
On a low-scoring day in Spain's top tier, the other two matches ended scoreless, with Valencia forced to start their campaign with a draw.
Valencia ended their trip to Rayo Vallecano with six shots on target to three but could not get past the home side's goalkeeper Tono.
The 35-year-old pulled off a stunning save in second-half stoppage time to deny Alvaro Negredo in a moment that encapsulated Saturday's match.
The other game between Deportivo La Coruna and Real Sociedad also ended 0-0.
