By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Isco scored a pair of goals and Cristiano Ronaldo found the net for the first time this season in La Liga as Real Madrid strolled to a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao at the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Isco tallied the opening goal in the 26th minute before Ronaldo netted his goal in first-half stoppage time.
The former Malaga midfielder scored again in the 72nd to put the hosts up 3-0 before Ibai Gomez pulled back a consolation goal for Athletic.
Karim Benzema played provider on the first goal with a long ball over the top to Isco, who remained on onside and slotted his shot past goalkeeper Iago Herrerin.
The visitors produced little in the way of attack and they found themselves down 2-0 at halftime when Angel Di Maria's free kick was headed home by Ronaldo.
Isco was on target again in the 72nd when he took a pass from Benzema and saw his volley take a slight deflection off a defender on its way into the net.
Gomez spoiled the clean sheet for Madrid in the 79th minute, but it was merely a consolation goal as the home side saw out the rest of the match for its third victory in three games.
Barcelona 3, Valencia 2
Valencia, Spain - Lionel Messi produced a hat trick to help Barcelona keep pace at the top of the La Liga table on Sunday as the Catalans picked up a 3-2 victory over Valencia at the Mestalla on Sunday.
The Argentine wizard scored in the 11th, 39th and 41st minutes to put Barcelona in good stead for the remainder of the match.
The club would need each strike as Helder Postiga answered with two goals in first-half stoppage time.
The result lifts Barcelona to nine points through three games, bringing the club level with Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal at the summit.
Atletico Madrid 2, Real Sociedad 1
San Sebastian, Spain - Atletico Madrid remained perfect through its first three La Liga games this season after earning a 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad at the Anoeta on Sunday.
David Villa and Koke scored in the 27th and 56th minutes to hand Atletico a much-needed lead.
Xabi Prieto pulled one back for La Real, but it was not enough to help his side claim the points necessary to prevent the visitors from picking up their third win of the season.
Sevilla 2, Malaga 2
Seville, Spain - Kevin Gameiro's brace was enough to see Sevilla claim maximum points at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday as the club was held to a 2-2 draw by Malaga.
Gameiro's first goal, which came in the 44th minute, helped erase Malaga's opener from Pedro Morales four minutes before.
After Roque Santa Cruz restored Malaga's lead with a goal in the 68th minute, Gameiro only needed three minutes to level the score as his 71st-minute strike was enough to see the home side earn a share of the spoils.
Espanyol 0, Real Betis 0
Barcelona, Spain - The was nothing between Espanyol and Real Betis at the Estadi Cornella-El Prat on Sunday as the two sides played to a 0-0 stalemate.
The result leaves the two clubs on opposite ends of the spectrum as Espanyol has yet to experience defeat thus far while Real Betis is still searching for its first win of the campaign.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/isco-leads-the-way-as-madrid-topples-athletic-bilbao