La Liga Week 1 Standings: Real Madrid Suffer Terrible Draw, Barcelona Escapes With Win via Luis Suárez Goal

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Aug 24, 2015 11:46 AM EDT

The first of 38 exciting weeks of La Liga soccer is in the books, and what a week it was.

Barcelona got a much needed victory over Athletic Bilbao, 1-0. Superstar forward Lionel Messi missed a penalty kick in the first half, but Barcelona was able to recover. Uruguayan great Luis Suárez lit the lamp in the 54th minute of play to make the score 1-0, and Barcelona never looked back.

Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who was the best goalie in the league last season, has started right where he left off. Bravo earned a clean sheet, stopping everything Athletic Bilbao threw at him.

This victory was extremely impressive for Barcelona for a number of reasons. One, Neymar was unable to play because he is still sidelined with the mumps. Two, the game was played in Bilbao. Three, Athletic Bilbao recently defeated Barcelona 4-0 in the Spanish Super Cup at home. Again, this was a huge win by Barcelona to kick off its season and defend its championship.

Barcelona will take on Malaga next week at home.

As for their rivals, Real Madrid, they did not have a great weekend. Real Madrid didn't technically lose, but it sure felt like a defeat. Real Madrid drew a 0-0 tie against Sporting Gijón, a team that was in the secondary division last season. Real Madrid were favored to win this game by at least two goals.

Real Madrid did not allow a single shot on goal the entire game, but their offense failed to find the back of the net even one time. Sporting Gijón kept Cristiano Ronaldo under check the entire game. Many fans are starting to question whether or not it was the right decision to fire manager Carlo Ancelotti after such a great season. Rafael Benítez is under a lot of fire for keeping James Rodríguez on the bench.

It's only one game, and it wasn't a loss, but Real Madrid will certainly have to improve their play going forward. Hopefully, for their sake, the disappointing end of last season doesn't extend over into this season. It should be mentioned that Karim Benzema missed that game.

Real Madrid will take on Real Betis (another secondary team from last season) in Week 2. That game is a must win for Real Madrid. They need all three points.

Outside of Barcelona and Real Madrid, there were plenty of other exciting games that shaped Week 1. Valencia, who placed fourth in last year's standings, tied with Rayo Vallecano, 0-0. Valencia had the most ties in the league last season, and that held them back from competing against Barcelona for the Spanish League title. Antoine Griezmann powered Atlético Madrid to a 1-0 win over Las Palmas. Atlético Madrid did win La Liga just two years ago, and they should be a huge competitor this season once again.