man Real Madrid slumped to a surprise 1-0 defeat at Levante Sunday as the tiny Valencia-based club ended the nine-time European champion's perfect start to the season. Jose Mourinho's side had midfielder Sami Khedira sent off five minutes before halftime and fell behind when Levante forward Kone, who joined from Sevilla in the close season, smashed the ball into the net with just over 20 minutes left. Real's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, top scorer in the league last season with a record 40 goals, started on the bench after he sustained a gashed ankle in the 1-0 Champions League win at Dinamo Zagreb in midweek. Coach Mourinho brought his compatriot on at the break to replace the ineffective Karim Benzema but not even the former World Player of the Year could find an equalizer. The result leaves Real on six points from three matches, one behind champion Barcelona, which romped to an 8-0 victory at Osasuna Saturday with a devastating performance after a poor week by their high standards. Valencia, which beat Sporting Gijon 1-0 away Saturday, is top on a perfect nine points and ahead of promoted Real Betis on goal difference after the Seville-based outfit beat Marcelo Bielsa's Athletic Bilbao 3-2 in Sunday's late kickoff. Both sides had a player sent off. Former Argentina and Chile coach Bielsa is still looking for a first win of the campaign after taking over at the Basque club in the close season. Real Zaragoza forward Luis Garcia had an eventful match against his former club Espanyol in Sunday's earlier kickoff, smashing in a stoppage-time winner for a 2-1 victory minutes after he seeing his penalty saved by Cristian Alvarez. In Sunday's Madrid derby, promoted Rayo Vallecano claimed their first win of the campaign with a 1-0 success at Getafe.
