MADRID: A first half goal from Marco Asensio secured Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over Espanyol which lifted them, probably briefly, to the top of the Spanish league.

Asensio’s low shot just before half-time provided a third successive home win in a game for which Gareth Bale was an unused substitute as coach Julen Lopetegui rotated his squad.

Thomas Lemar scored his first goal for Atletico Madrid in a 2-0 victory at Getafe. Atletico’s comfortable victory eased nerves after a stuttering start to the season during which they gathered five points from their first four games.

The French winger hit the bar with a long-range effort and the ball ricocheted over the line off the back of diving goalkeeper David Soria after 14 minutes. The visitors struggled to create openings at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez but Lemar put the finishing touch to a quick counter-attack after an hour to net his first goal since his close season move from Monaco.

Getafe winger Ivan Alejo was sent off for an apparent stamp just four minutes after coming on as a substitute.

Rayo Vallecano were thrashed 5-1 by third-placed Alaves at Vallecas after Abdoulaye Ba was sent off in the first half. Ba became the first player in Spanish football to be dismissed after the video assistant referee alerted the officials to an off-the-ball elbow on Jonathan Calleri.

In Italy three goals were ruled out by the video assistant referee before Internazionale’s Marcelo Brozovic snatched a dramatic late 1-0 win at Sampdoria.

Both sides thought they had won a dramatic Serie A encounter in the final moments at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris but efforts for Inter’s Kwadwo Asamoah and Sampdoria’s Gregoire Defrel were disallowed.

Inter had also had a Radja Nainggolan drive struck off in the first half but they had the last word when Brozovic scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to lift Inter to seventh place.

In Germany Bayern Munich added to the problems at Schalke as they left the Veltins-Arena with a 2-0 victory which cements first place in the Bundesliga.

James Rodriguez and Robert Lewandowski were on target either side of half-time, the Poland striker converting a penalty, to continue the champions’ winning start to the season. Schalke have lost all four league matches.

In France Lille keep up pressure just two points behind Paris Saint-Germain after a 2-1 home win over Nantes.

Former Southampton and West Ham defender Jose Fonte headed Lille into an early lead and Jonathan Ikone added a second after the break.

Kalifa Coulibaly’s late effort for Nantes ensured a nervy finish, but Lille held on to register their fourth league win in six matches and maintain their 100pc winning home record.

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