Barcelona, Real Madrid lose ahead of Champions League openers

Lionel Messi

Champions League openers and their own Clasico clash. Barcelona had its first defeat under Ronald Koeman when it lost 1-0 at Getafe on Saturday, right after Madrid was beaten 1-0 at home by recently promoted Cádiz.

The star-powered attacks of the European powerhouses appeared shackled by their opponents. While Getafe lived up to its reputation as one of Spain's top defensive sides by shutting down Barcelona, Madrid was sloppy and sluggish against an inspired Cadiz that is back in the top flight after 15 seasons.

Sevilla also lost before it visits Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday, leaving Atletico Madrid as the only one of Spain's top teams to celebrate a victory. It faces Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

'Tough match'

"We knew it was going to be a hard match," Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets said. "We wanted to play at a faster pace, and we tried, but once they went ahead it became even tougher. We have to keep working to improve. This has just started."

Barcelona hosts Hungarian club Ferencvaros in the Champions League on Tuesday.

No excuses: Zidane

Meanwhile, Real boss Zinedine Zidane said there are no excuses. "Hopefully it's minor. There is no explanation. If they scored two or three goals in the first half, we couldn't have complained. There are no excuses," said Zidane.

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