Espanyol have opened their La Liga campaign with a slender 1-0 victory over Getafe, thanks to Salva Sevilla's free kick.

The Catalans opened the scoring as early as the third minute when Sevilla expertly curled the ball over the wall and into the corner.

Paco Montanes almost doubled the home side's lead, but his effort before half time was stopped by Vicente Guaita.

The visitors nearly got back on level terms early in the second period when Alexis headed wide from close range.

Pedro Leon then tried his luck with a shot from distance, but his strike was wide of the target.

Getafe's day got worse when Santiago Vergini was sent off with eight minutes remaining after picking up his second yellow card for a challenge on Gerard Moreno.