MADRID — Ruben Castro’s 92nd-minute strike gave visitor Real Betis a 3-2 win in La Liga and left Valencia still searching for its first points while Sporting Gijon rose to third place Sunday.
Goals from Rodrigo and Ezequiel Garay helped 10-man Valencia to make an impressive comeback against Betis, before Castro punished the host for slack defending in stoppage time.
Betis rose to 12th in the table with four points from three games, while Valencia is 19th, having lost three times.
Castro had opened the scoring for Betis in the 38th minute, reaching Cristiano Piccini’s pass, composing himself, then slotting the ball past Diego Alves.
Enzo Perez was sent off for diving in violently on Riza Durmisi with his studs up in the 50th minute, before his victim threaded a pass through for winger Joaquin to score in the 54th.
Valencia brought on Munir El Haddadi, on loan from Barcelona, and the impetus he provided helped them recover.
A strike from the forward cracked back off the crossbar as Valencia turned up the heat.
In the 75th minute Dani Parejo set up Rodrigo to score for Valencia before Munir headed on a corner which Antonio Adan parried, only for Ezequiel Garay to fire home for Betis three minutes later.
A late break from Betis allowed Piccini to feed Castro, who scored his second goal and earned the Andalusians three points.
Sporting Gijon continued its fine start to the season, beating Leganes 2-1 to rise to third in the table with seven points from three games.
Nacho Cases opened the scoring before Duje Cop added the second from the penalty spot, with Diego Rico grabbing a consolation goal for the Madrid minnows.
The result helps the Asturian side leapfrog Barcelona, which lost 2-1 against Alaves Saturday in the weekend’s shock.
Athletic Bilbao squeezed past Deportivo la Coruna at the Riazor thanks to a goal from Raul Garcia which gave it its first win of the season.
A stoppage time winner from Sergi Enrich helped Eibar beat Granada away from home.
Pedro Leon put the visitors ahead before Artur Kravets sent Granada level, but Enrich had the final say and sent Eibar sixth with six points from three games.
Real Madrid is top after its 5-2 win over Osasuna Saturday, its third straight win.
Balotelli scores twice on Nice debut
Mario Balotelli lit up the Riviera derby with two goals on his Nice debut to hand it a 3-2 victory over Olympique Marseille Sunday — his first league goals for a year.
The 26-year-old former Inter Milan and Manchester City striker opened the scoring from the penalty spot after seven minutes and struck again 12 minutes from full time when he headed home a Ricardo cross.
Florian Thauvin cancelled out Balotelli’s opener and former Swansea City striker Bafetimbi Gomis put Marseille ahead.
After Italy striker Balotelli equalised, Nice snatched the points when Wylan Cyprien struck from long range.
Nice is second in Ligue 1, behind leader Monaco on goal difference.
