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Valencia got their season off to a flying start with a 3-0 win over Real Mallorca at the Estadio Mestalla.

Goals from David Villa, Juan Manuel Mata and Vicente Rodriguez saw Los Che eventually run out comfortable winners against the Islanders.

Villa - who turned down a big-money move to champions Real Madrid last week before signing a new contract with Los Che - nodded in the first goal on 33 minutes after David Silva sprayed a ball out to the wing for Pablo Hernandez to flash a ball across goal that goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya couldn't steer out of Villa's path.

The Islanders were hit by a double blow as they were two goals behind four minutes later. This time Villa cut in from the left-hand side of the box to fire in a shot that Moya could only parry into the path of Mata, who nodded the ball into the unguarded net from close range.

Valencia asserted their superiority the more the second half wore on, and when Miguel Angulo fired in a low cross for fellow substitute Vicente to tap in from close range there was no way back for the visitors.

Mallorca - starting life without last season's Pichichi [La Liga top scorer] Dani Guiza, who has joined former Spain coach Luis Aragones at Fenerbahce - had chances of their own.

After ten minutes, the referee ruled that Raul Albiol had intentionally passed back to Valencia keeper Renan, even though it looked as if the ball had simply ricocheted off of his shin. The result was an indirect free-kick inside the area, which had all 11 Valencia players guarding the goal-line. It was Juan Arango who had the effort, but the shot was charged down by the wall of white shirts.

Oscar Trejo forced one good save from Renan early on, and then the Brazilain shot-stopper did well to get down low to tip another Trejo effort onto the post just minutes after Valencia's second goal.

Villa failed to take the opportunity for a spectacular goal midway through the second half, but his volley from Emiliano Moretti's pinpoint cross was sliced into the Mestalla crowd.

The Euro 2008 top scorer also saw two well-struck free-kicks beat the wall but dip just too late to trouble the goalkeeper.

In Saturday's earlier match, Luis Garcia gave Espanyol an opening-day win, scoring the only goal of the game against Valladolid at the Montjuic.

Three minutes after half-time, Ivan de la Pena broke forward and found Luis Garcia on the left-hand side running with him.

Garcia cut inside onto his right foot and slotted his shot underneath Valladolid keeper Sergio Asenjo.

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Tony Mabert / Eurosport