Atletico Madrid started the defence of their LaLiga title with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo, aided by Angel Correa's double and a dreadful miss from Iago Aspas.
Correa struck either side of Aspas' penalty before both teams had a player sent off in stoppage time, Mario Hermoso and Hugo Mallo seeing red after a confrontation between the pair.
Matters might have been a little easier for Atleti if not for a rather soft Celta spot-kick, Marcos Llorente harshly adjudged to have handled.
Correa – starting up top with Luis Suarez on the bench – ultimately settled the contest with a cool finish, though Aspas sliced wide of an open goal with 10 minutes remaining to let Diego Simeone's side off the hook.
The game's first shot on target led to the first goal. Thomas Lemar's fantastic run teed up Correa, who slammed a brilliant finish high into the net, leaving Matias Dituro flat-footed.
However, Celta had a lifeline 11 minutes into the second half. Jan Oblak flapped at a cross and Aspas was only able to divert it, from point-blank range, onto the chest of Llorente.
The ball bounced down onto the midfielder's knee and up to his forearm, yet despite there being little possibility of Llorente getting out of the way, referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero pointed to the spot after consulting the VAR.
Aspas rolled in a cool finish to send the limited-capacity crowd wild, though parity lasted just five minutes as Correa drilled in a fantastic second after he was found by Saul Niguez.
It was Correa's final act too, with Suarez, alongside new signing Rodrigo de Paul, immediately coming on.
Suarez skied a free-kick and Aspas should have made Atleti's profligacy pay, only to somehow miss the target with half of the goal to aim at.
There was more drama late in stoppage time following a foul by Mallo on Suarez, leading to him getting involved with Hermoso. Both were dismissed for violent conduct, but Atletico's 10 men held on.
Son Heung-min delivered the goods for Tottenham in the absence of Harry Kane as he sealed a 1-0 win over Premier League champions Manchester City in Nuno Espirito Santo's first match at the helm.
Kane, who has been strongly linked with a move to City, was reportedly deemed not sharp enough after only recently returning to training, but Spurs adapted well to the situation after a shaky start against a visiting side who handed a debut to British record signing Jack Grealish.
Spurs' reliance on counter-attacking football may have initially frustrated sections of the crowd at Tottenham Hotspur stadium, but it looked like the most realistic way of hurting City in the first half.
And that tactic bore fruit in the 55th minute, with Son rounding off a flowing move with a fine finish that even Kane would have been proud of, denying City the chance to set a new record of 11 successive opening-day wins in the Premier League.
Spurs looked to be in for a long day after a difficult opening that Pep Guardiola's men dominated, with Joao Cancelo and Riyad Mahrez both having presentable chances fall to them, but they weathered the early storm.
The hosts were set up to threaten on the counter and several times they looked bright bursting forward, though uncharacteristically meek play from Son twice saw encouraging moves peter out.
The South Korean looked a little more like his usual self just before the interval, though, seeing a curling effort deflected agonisingly wide by Cancelo after a rapid break.
Spurs began the second period much sharper than the first. Within five minutes of the restart, Ruben Dias had to be alert to prevent Son from having a tap-in and then Lucas Moura shot wide from 20 yards.
Son soon found his range, however, tucking a lovely effort inside the left-hand post from just outside the box after Nathan Ake failed to engage him at the end of a blistering break, setting up a fourth straight win for Spurs over City on home soil.
Spurs were pressed into defensive action in the latter stages, with Hugo Lloris becoming increasingly busy, but they held on to secure only their fifth win in 13 league games without Kane since the start of 2019-20.
What does it mean? Wasteful City need options in attack
While the £100million signing of Grealish will surely be worthy, it looks as though City are going to need more if they are to take themselves to the next level, with their inability to find the net despite their expected goals being almost double that of Spurs (1.0 v 1.8).
While Ferran Torres has occasionally done a job leading the line for City, he is not a central striker and Gabriel Jesus does not seem to have convinced Guardiola in that position either, otherwise he would surely have started.
Kane is the obvious option – perhaps after seeing this match play out, Guardiola will have renewed desire to get him in as soon as possible.
Son shines without Kane
In the past few years, a lot of the praise that has come Son's way has often related to his relationship with Kane, rather than the merits of his own quality. Although he seemed strangely subdued early on, he soon got himself on the front foot and proved a real nuisance to City, his five shots more than anyone else on the pitch, and one of those was the excellent goal.
Mendy makes a meal of defensive work
While there were a few situations early on where Benjamin Mendy's ability in attack looked useful, defensively he appeared a weak link throughout. He gifted possession back to Spurs in dangerous positions a couple of times, and was nowhere to be seen for Son's goal on the break.
What's next?
Spurs go to Pacos Ferreira for the first leg of their Conference League qualifier on Thursday before Nuno reunites with Wolves at Molineux next Sunday. City host promoted Norwich City in six days' time.
Fabio Jakobsen timed his sprint finish to perfection to win stage two of the Vuelta a Espana.
Alpecin-Fenix rider Jakobsen edged out Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick Step) in Burgos on Sunday at the end of a 166.7-kilometre flat stage that started in Caleruega.
Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) took third place as 23-year-old Belgian Jakobsen claimed his second Vuelta stage win after being led out brilliantly by his team-mates.
Primoz Roglic retained the red jersey with a lead of four seconds over Alex Aranburu following the defending champion's time-trial triumph on the opening stage.
Sprinter Jordi Meeus was among the Bora-Hansgrohe riders who were involved in a crash four kilometres from the end of the second day.
Diego Rubio (Burgos-BH), Sergio Martin (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and Xabier Mikel Azparren (Euskaltel-Euskadi) made an early break on a hot, draining day for the riders.
Rubio looked the strongest of that breakaway trio and he tried to go solo, but was caught with a little over 20 kilometres to go to set up the sprint finish that was anticipated.
Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) hit the front with 200 metres remaining, with Matthews on his wheel, but it was Jakobsen who nipped in front to take the victory.
He said: "It's incredible. Yesterday someone put it in our team group chat [that they could win the first sprint of all three Grand Tours] and for sure it was a dream but I didn't want to think about it because the chance is always less high than it would be true.
"It just shows how everyone from team is really motivated. It was a team effort and we can be really proud. It was amazing to see all my team-mates there and everyone on the front line. I had a lot of support and this is how we can win sprints.
"Each of us can be very happy tonight and we start this Grand Tour in a good way."
STAGE RESULT
1. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) 03:58:57
2. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-QuickStep)
3. Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange)
4. Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates)
5. Alex Aranburu (Astana-Premier Tech)
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 0:08:32
2. Alex Aranburu (Astana-Premier Tech) +0:04
3. Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) +0:10
Points Classification
1. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) 50
2. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-QuickStep) 50
3. Alex Aranburu (Astana-Premier Tech 50
King of the Mountains
1. Sepp Cuss (Jumbo-Visma) 3
2. Sep Vanmarcke (Israel Start-Up Nation) 2
3. Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates) 1
What's next?
A first high-altitude finale in Picon Blanco awaits the riders, who will start a demanding 202.8km third stage in Santo Domingo de Silos.
Jodi Munn-Barrow on Thursday was elected the first-ever female president of the 96-year-old Jamaica Golf Association and promised to expand the reach of the sport. Munn-Barrow replaces Peter Chin, who did not seek re-election after serving as president for the last decade.
Her executive includes Vice President Dr. Mark Newnham, Honorary Secretary Fred Sutherland, Assistant Secretary Bruce Lopez and Treasurer William Brown. Alison Reid is the junior golf chairperson while Dave Lyn, Michael Bradford, William Knibbs, Rowena Coe and Vikram Dhiman are committee members.
Munn-Barrow said she never dreamed of becoming president of the JGA which was formed in 1925.
"When I started my golfing career some 30-odd years ago, I never envisioned that I would ever take over the helm of this august body,” she said.
“I remember all of those who have done this before me and I have always looked up to them throughout my career. I hope that I can make them proud as well as the members of the association and I look forward to working with all of the members in ensuring that the game of golf grows and continues to be very successful."
She said she wants to raise the profile of the sport so as to be able to attract international partnerships.
"I will endeavour to increase the optics of golf in Jamaica. Some of the areas I would like to focus on include marketing Jamaica as a golfing destination through dialogue with the ministries of Sports and Tourism, reaching out again and having dialogue with the member clubs, trying to bring an AJGA (America Junior Golf Association) event to Jamaica thus lifting the image of our junior golf programme and also increasing the membership of the association by speaking with the presidents of other sporting bodies to try to get their members interested in golf as a second sport," she said.
Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard is confident he can push on this season after an injury-hit first two years in LaLiga.
Hazard signed for Madrid from Chelsea for a reported fee of an initial €100million (£89m), though there was potential for the deal to rise significantly due to additional bonus payments.
However, the Belgium attacker has hardly made an impact in the Spanish capital and is reportedly one of the players Madrid are open to selling as they look to ease their financial difficulties in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Niggling injuries have derailed Hazard's Madrid career, restricting him to just 43 appearances in total across all competitions over the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, with 31 of these being starts.
Yet the 30-year-old, who featured for Belgium at Euro 2020 after overcoming an ankle problem, looked sharp as Madrid thrashed Deportivo Alaves in Carlo Ancelotti's first game back in LaLiga on Saturday, his deft flick teeing up Karim Benzema for Los Blancos' opener in the 4-1 win.
That assist was one of a game-leading three chances created by Hazard, who lasted 66 minutes before being replaced by Vinicius Junior.
"I have nothing but good feelings for me and for the team," Hazard told Movistar+.
"The feelings are good, I'm feeling good, we want to win LaLiga this season.
"My ankle injury is a thing of the past, it's already out of my head. I am going to give everything this season."
Hazard started in a front three alongside Gareth Bale and Benzema, who the Belgian found six times in total on Saturday, with only Luka Modric (13), David Alaba and Federico Valverde (both eight) picking out the France striker on more occasions.
"I enjoy playing with Benzema, we know each other very well and it's easy to play with him," Hazard added.
A trip to Levante is next up for Madrid in a week's time.
Philippe Coutinho, Miralem Pjanic and Samuel Umtiti have all been left out of Barcelona's squad for the LaLiga opener against Real Sociedad.
New recruits Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia are set to make their debuts for the club on Sunday, Barca finally able to register the duo - as well as Rey Manaj - after Gerard Pique accepted a reduced salary.
All three are in a 23-man squad named by Ronald Koeman ahead of Sunday's fixture at Camp Nou, as well as another offseason signing in Emerson Royal.
However, a trio of players reportedly available for transfer will not be involved.
Brazilian Coutinho – who made just 12 league appearances before missing the season half of the 2020-21 season through injury – is a notable absentee from the list.
There is no Pjanic either, the midfielder seemingly surplus to requirements after just one season with Barcelona. He has been linked with a return to Juventus.
Defender Umtiti, meanwhile, misses out with fellow centre-back Clement Lenglet fit to feature. Frenkie de Jong has also been cleared to play, but Sergio Aguero is among those ruled out out through injury.
Koeman will also have to do without Ansu Fati, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ousmane Dembele for Barca's first competitive game since the departure of Lionel Messi, now at Paris Saint-Germain after financial restrictions prevented him from signing a new deal.
Last year, Tyler Gilbert was working as an electrician with his father. On Saturday, he lit up Chase Field with a historic no-hitter for the Arizona Diamondbacks in their win over the San Diego Padres.
Gilbert became only the fourth pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-hitter in his first major league start, inspiring the lowly Diamondbacks to a 7-0 victory.
He gave up only three walks and delivered five strikeouts across 102 pitches as he followed in the footsteps of Ted Breitenstein (1891), Bumpus Jones (1892) and Bobo Holloman (1953).
It was a far cry from days spent working with his dad in Northern California, with Gilbert forced to find another job to make ends meet after the 2020 minor league season was cancelled.
He should be employed in MLB for some time after etching his name into the history books with a calm that belied the magnitude of the moment.
"It was just one of those days," Gilbert said. "I know balls were getting hit around, but they were getting hit to guys.
"And then I was making good pitches. It was just kind of a rush the whole time, to be honest.
"It was weird. I wasn't nervous at all, and I felt like I should have been. I don't know why, but I kept just going out there and doing my thing.
"I was really nervous before the game leading up to the game, but after the three-pitch eighth inning, I was like, 'Okay, this is going to happen.' But, no, I just kind of stayed level-headed and then kept making pitches."
"I did think it was going to go down [for a hit], but it kind of carried a little bit," Gilbert added of the final out, Tommy Pham's cut fastball to Ketel Marte.
"I saw it hanging in the air, and I'm like, 'Okay, this is it.' That's happening. So that's cool.
"It's crazy. I'm happy to be here. I'd rather be doing this than pulling wires. No offence, Dad."
Lionel Messi is a Paris Saint-Germain player. Even though we've had a few days to let that sink in, it still seems such a perplexing scenario.
Messi has signed a two-year deal at the Parc des Princes and will form probably the most-feared front three in world football alongside Kylian Mbappe and his old friend Neymar.
Barcelona's dire financial situation meant they could not bring their greatest ever player back under LaLiga's salary restrictions, meaning they begin their 2021-22 campaign on Sunday against Real Sociedad with a gaping void in their team.
This will be the first season since 2003-04 that Barca haven't been able to call upon the Argentina superstar, and his absence is sure to leave a lingering sense of astonishment that won't clear for a while, particularly if the Blaugrana endure a difficult start to the campaign.
Of course, Barca's hands were ultimately tied in this shocking saga, their financial state so rocky that signing Messi up to a new contract after his previous deal expired was literally impossible. Although the two parties had an agreement, the numbers simply wouldn't work.
The world will now watch on with fascination as Messi represents a new club for the first time in his career, while back in Catalonia, Barca must carry on like nothing's happened.
That'll be difficult to do. Using Opta data, Stats Perform looks at some of the incredible feats that make Messi irreplaceable.
Messi played 778 games for Barcelona in all competitions, scoring 672 goals and providing 265 assists across those games. That amounts to 937 goal involvements during his Barca career, which began as a 17-year-old.
Previously a one-club man, his first appearance for Barcelona came under Frank Rijkaard against Espanyol in October 2004, while his first goal arrived seven months later with a clever lob against Albacete at Camp Nou from a Ronaldinho assist.
Brazil great Ronaldinho was the last Barcelona player to wear the famed number 10 before Messi took that shirt in 2008 and made it his own.
But Ronaldinho does not feature among the top assisters for Messi goals, a list that is led by Luis Suarez (47). Dani Alves assisted 42 of the attacker's goals and third is Andres Iniesta with 37, six more than fellow legendary midfielder Xavi.
Messi played under eight different coaches during his time with Barcelona. Of those, he featured most often (219 appearances) and scored the most goals (211) during Pep Guardiola's tenure.
However, the 60 goals Messi scored in 50 games under the late Tito Vilanova – an average of 1.20 goals per match – was his best goals-per-game return with a single coach.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Messi's lowest average goals-per-game ratio was during the Rijkaard era at the start of his career (0.38), followed by the 0.63 managed under Quique Setien between January and August 2020.
Messi's most prolific season as a Barcelona player was in 2011-12 when scoring a remarkable 73 goals in all competitions and providing a further 28 assists, setting a personal record in both categories.
Indeed, the forward netted 79 goals for his club across the calendar year in 2012, which is a record amount by a single player. His next most prolific year was 2010 when registering 58 times.
In more recent years, Messi managed 51 goals in 2016, 50 goals in 2017, 47 goals in 2018, 45 goals in 2019 and 26 goals in 2020 – a steady decline that he has already rectified this year, having scored 28 times in the first half of 2021.
He is the only player to have scored 10 or more goals in 15 consecutive LaLiga seasons.
Messi's 672 goals for Barcelona were scored against 82 different teams. Sevilla were his favourite opponent, finding the net against them 38 times in 43 appearances.
Atletico Madrid were next on that particular list, with Messi bagging 32 goals in that fixture, followed by Valencia (31), Athletic Bilbao (29) and bitter rivals Real Madrid (26), making him the all-time leading scorer in El Clasico.
In terms of individual goalkeepers, Diego Alves was Messi's most frequent victim, the former Almeria and Valencia man having conceded 21 goals against the Argentina superstar.
Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas was joint-third with 17 goals against, one fewer than the 18 Messi put past Gorka Iraizoz.
Messi is of course synonymous with Camp Nou, a ground where he has scored 394 goals in 381 games at an average of 1.03 per match. Madrid fans will be particularly sick of him as he has scored 15 times in 22 games at the Santiago Bernabeu – his second favourite venue.
That is followed by the Vicente Calderon, Atletico's old home (14 goals in 20 appearances). Deportivo La Coruna's Riazor (13 in eight) and Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan (13 in 18) complete the top five.
It's fair to say Barca have an almighty task on their hands in replacing him.
Messi's other notable records and achievements
– Messi is LaLiga's all-time leading scorer with 474 goals and is the second-highest scorer ever in Europe's top five leagues behind Cristiano Ronaldo (476).
– He scored in 21 consecutive LaLiga games between November 2012 and May 2013, a record for a player in the competition's history.
– Messi is one of only two players to reach 100 goals in Champions League history (120), alongside Cristiano Ronaldo (134).
– He was the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match, doing so against Bayer Leverkusen in March 2012 at Camp Nou.
– The Argentina forward is one of six players to score more than 50 goals in the Copa del Rey's history and the only one to score in six different finals in the tournament (Telmo Zarra scored in five).
The Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets went to extras for the second straight game with Cody Bellinger coming up with the crucial RBI in a 2-1 win for the world champions on Saturday.
The Dodgers had won 6-5 on Friday against the Mets and backed that up in another tight contest, with Bellinger's line hit allowing Corey Seager to score easily in the 10th inning.
This came after the Dodgers had been held hit-less across six innings by the Mets, with LA also having an 1-12 record in extras coming into the series.
Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker had eight strikeouts but Will Smith hit a game-tying solo home run in the seventh inning for the Dodgers.
Bellinger has had an underwhelming season but came up with the crucial hit in the 10th inning before Corey Knebel locked down the save.
Walker Buehler had an exceptional performance for the Dodgers, keeping the game tight with 10 strikeouts across seven innings. That marks the sixth time Buehler has gone at least seven innings and allowed one earned run or fewer.
The win improves the Dodgers record to 71-46, while the Mets are 59-57.
Moore silences the boos, Gilbert no-hitter
Making his 10th start of the season, Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Matt Moore allowed no hits, tossing down eight strikeouts in their 6-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Moore's no-hit start was across six innings and comes after copping boos for his relief display against the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week. "A day like today, coming off the field, it’s something you wish you could put in a bottle and open up someday or relive it," Moore said.
In his first big league start, Tyler Gilbert completed a no-hitter for the Arizona Diamondbacks, with five strikeouts across nine innings in their 7-0 triumph over the San Diego Padres.
Chris Sale fired in his return to the mound after two years, tossing down eight strikeouts in the Boston Red Sox' 16-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles, while Rafael Devers had two hits and four RBI.
Matt Chapman had a game to remember after bashing two home runs and taking an unbelievable catch running backwards in the Oakland Athletics' 8-3 victory over the Texas Rangers.
Shohei Ohtani drilled a lead-off home run, taking his season tally to 39 homers, as the Los Angeles Angels lost 8-2 to the Houston Astros.
Joey Gallo crushed a two-run home run in the 10th inning to cap the New York Yankees' 7-5 win over the Chicago White Sox.
Rays dismantled by Twins
The Tampa Bay Rays may be leading the American League East with a 71-46 record but they were dismantled by the resurgent Minnesota Twins 12-0. The Rays trailed 7-0 after three innings and only managed three hits for the game.
Swanson makes Braves history
The Atlanta Braves hit four home runs in their 12-2 win over the Washington Nationals, including Dansby Swanson who made franchise history, with no Braves short-stop hitting more homers than him.
Saturday's results
Pittsburgh Pirates 14-4 Milwaukee Brewers
Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 Cincinnati Reds
Boston Red Sox 16-2 Baltimore Orioles
Atlanta Braves 12-2 Washington Nationals
Miami Marlins 5-4 Chicago Cubs
Detroit Tigers 6-4 Cleveland Indians
Milwaukee Brewers 6-0 Pittsburgh Pirates
Oakland Athletics 8-3 Texas Rangers
New York Yankees 7-5 Chicago White Sox
St Louis Cardinals 9-4 Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 New York Mets
Minnesota Twins 12-0 Tampa Bay Rays
Arizona Diamondbacks 7-0 San Diego Padres
Colorado Rockies 4-1 San Francisco Giants
Houston Astros 8-2 Los Angeles Angels
Seattle Mariners 9-3 Toronto Blue Jays
Padres at Diamondbacks
Fernando Tatis Jr could return for the first time this month following a shoulder injury when the Padres complete their four-game series against the Diamondbacks who are chasing a sweep.
Top seed Daniil Medvedev will face Reilly Opelka in the National Bank Open final after the American stunned Stefanos Tsitsipas in a three-set classic in Saturday's semi-finals.
World number 32 Opelka fought back from a set down in Toronto to knock out favoured third seed Tsitsipas in two hours and 32 minutes.
The 23-year-old American triumphed 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4, booking a spot in his first ATP Masters 1000 final.
Opelka sent down 17 aces but also hit 27 groundstroke winners in the shock victory over 2021 Australian Open semi-finalist Tsitsipas who had beaten in-form Casper Ruud in the quarters.
"I played great," Opelka said in his on-court interview. “These courts suit my game, it is no coincidence that John Isner is in the other semi-final.
"Stefanos has definitely improved his returning. Come 5-5 in the first set, a lot of balls started to come back. He is a thinker and has a high tennis IQ, so it was expected, but that is what separates him from the rest of the pack."
Opelka was aided by an excellent first serve percentage of 72 per cent, winning 62 of 81 points when he made his first serve.
Both first two sets went to tiebreaks, with Tsitsipas failing to generate a break point until the third set. Opelka made the first break of the match in the seventh game of the third set and held serve twice after to seal victory.
World number two Medvedev cruised into the decider with a commanding win over John Isner in less than an hour.
Medvedev, who was runner-up in Toronto in 2019, won 6-2 6-2 over the big-serving American, with the match totaling 54 minutes.
Isner could only manage four trademark aces for the match, while the Russian had 11 and broke the American four times from seven opportunities.
Karolina Pliskova will face unseeded Italian Camila Giorgi in the National Bank Open final after beating top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the last four.
An intriguing semi-final pitted two of the favourites against one another in Montreal and it was Pliskova, the fourth seed, who came out on top 6-3 6-4.
The Wimbledon finalist broke early in the first and then clinched the set on Sabalenka's serve, too, although she was made to work a little harder in the second.
Pliskova fell behind in the seventh game, but she responded by winning three straight games to wrap up victory.
"It's an amazing feeling to be in another final this year," Pliskova said.
"I think I was super solid today. I just did everything what I was supposed to do to win this match, played smart.
"My serve was pretty good, I have to say."
Indeed, the Czech landed 71 per cent of her first serves in – with 10 aces to two double faults – helping her to win 69 per cent of her service points.
World number 71 Giorgi progressed to the decider with a three-set win over Jessica Pegula in two hours and 11 minutes.
The 6-3 3-6 6-1 win means the Italian qualified for her first career WTA 1000 final.
Giorgi had toppled seventh seed Petra Kvitova, ninth seed Elise Mertens and 15th seed Cori Gauff on her route to the decider.
Carlo Ancelotti described Karim Benzema as the "complete player" after he inspired a 4-1 victory at Alaves in Real Madrid's first game of the LaLiga season.
Benzema scored twice either side of a volley from Nacho, before Vinícius Junior headed in the last of four second-half goals for Madrid in their first competitive game since Ancelotti returned to the club.
Joselu had made it 3-1 from the penalty spot just after Benzema's second goal, but Los Blancos made an impressive start to their bid to regain the title.
Benzema has scored 17 LaLiga goals this year, a tally only bettered by Lionel Messi (23), and he appeared to thrive on wearing the captain's armband with Sergio Ramos having joined Paris Saint-Germain.
Madrid boss Ancelotti feels the France striker has matured into a magnificent all-rounder player.
He said: "Benzema is the completion of the team, reading the situations of the match very well. He is a player I think is not enough to call a forward.
"He is a very complete player. Now he is more complete than five years ago."
Gareth Bale started his first game in the Spanish top flight since June 2020 after a loan spell with Tottenham last season, while Eden Hazard caused Alaves problems after he was also named in the side.
Bale scored in the 2014 Champions League final victory over Atletico Madrid during Ancelotti's first spell at Madrid, but fell out of favour under Zinedine Zidane and there appeared to be no way back for him after he famously held up a 'Wales, golf, Madrid' flag.
Ancelotti is unsure whether the Wales captain has more desire to play for the club now, but says the forward has plenty to offer.
"I do not know if he is more committed than other years, because I was not there," he said. "Bale is going to improve because his condition is not optimal yet, like everyone else's. Everyone can improve."
Madrid have not been beaten in their opening game of a LaLiga campaign since 2008, winning nine and drawing four of their first games since then.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino insists he did not hear the jeers directed at Kylian Mbappe before and during Saturday's 4-2 Ligue 1 win over Strasbourg.
Mbappe – making his 150th Ligue 1 appearance – was a leading light for PSG at the Parc des Princes, getting an assist for Julian Draxler and also finding the net via a massive deflection off Ludovic Ajorque in the first half.
He was a regular threat to the Strasbourg defence but will likely be frustrated not to have added more goals as he was denied by Matz Sels twice in the second period.
Despite consistently being the biggest danger in a PSG side that faded badly in the second half and saw their 3-0 lead cut to 3-2, Mbappe was targeted by certain sections of the crowd.
The France international is into the final year of his contract at the club, and although president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said Mbappe had no reason not to extend his deal following the signing of Lionel Messi, an agreement still eludes PSG as Real Madrid circle.
However, Pochettino is convinced Mbappe remains utterly focused.
"Kylian is focused on our goals. He did well and I am very happy with his performance. He must continue like this," said Pochettino.
"I didn't hear the whistles against Mbappe."
Earlier in the evening it was all cheers for the fans in the Parc des Princes, which welcomed a capacity crowd for the first time since February 2020. Those in attendance got their first glimpse of Messi following his arrival from Barcelona.
Messi and his fellow new signings – including former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos – were presented on the pitch before the game to a raucous ovation, though neither of those two actually played.
Pochettino wished he could have joined in the celebrations.
"It was a great day for the PSG family, there was an amazing atmosphere," Pochettino said.
"I was not present during the presentation of the signings, but the feedback we got was that it was incredible.
"All players need to feel this affection from the fans. I want to congratulate the whole club again. We experienced something moving. I would have preferred to be outside the changing rooms to experience this.
"It's always nice to see our supporters up close. Football is different with the public. A year and a half later, it feels good."
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