MADRID: Juanma Mata and Pablo Hernandez both scored in the second half as Valencia beat 10-man Sevilla 2-0 on Sunday, while Roberto Soldado scored a hat-trick as Getafe romped to a 4-1 win over Racing Santander to open their campaign. Mata collected teammate Ever Banega’s controlled pass in the 47th minute and struck the ball through a crowded area and beyond goalkeeper Andres Palop to open the scoring before Hernandez sealed the victory in the 80th with a looping volley. Sevilla had lost Frederic Kanoute at the end of the first half when the Mali striker received a second yellow card for a challenge on Carlos Marchena. The scoreline would have been more lopsided but for Palop, who made a number of impressive saves to keep Sevilla in the game. Striker Alvaro Negredo made his debut for Sevilla following a transfer from Real Madrid last week, coming on in the second half when coach Manolo Jimenez also brought on striker Arouna Kone in a vain bid to bolster his attack. Elsewhere, Malaga defeated Atletico Madrid 3-0, Athletic Bilbao won 1-0 against Espanyol, Mallorca bested Xerez 2-0 and Osasuna drew 1-1 with Villarreal. In Santander, Rafael Lopez opened the scoring for Getafe in the 12th minute after heading home Adrian Gonzalez’s corner. Gonzalez set up Soldado’s first, a close-range shot in the penalty area in the 29th and the forward stretched the lead with his second five minutes later. Mehdi Lacen pulled one back in the 43rd minute but Soldado completed his hat trick in the 56th minute. Malaga’s Nabil Baha scored with an athletic overhead bicycle shot from an assist by Duda in the 34th and Manuel Torres scored from a corner in the 62nd. Malaga’s midfielder Xavi Torres got the third goal in the 89th minute. Mallorca’s Aritz Aduriz scored in the 57th minute and then supplied Antoni Adrover who scored with a left-footed shot in the 60th minute. Villarreal’s Santiago Cazorla surprised Osasuna’s defense in the 33rd minute and Uruguay international Walter Pandiani equalised in the 37th minute. In another match, Athletic Bilbao forward Gaizka Toquero beat Espanyol goalkeeper Carlos Kameni in the 78th minute to score the winner. Premier League BIRMINGHAM: Aston Villa bounced back from their midweek Europa League exit by cruising to a 2-0 victory over Fulham in the English Premier League on Sunday. Martin O’Neill’s team were eliminated from Europe’s second tier competition by Rapid Vienna on away goals, but they showed no signs of a hangover at Villa Park. They took the lead through John Pantsil’s early own goal and Gabriel Agbonlahor smashed in a superb second after the break to build on last week’s surprise 3-1 win at Liverpool. Unlike Villa, Fulham did make it into the group stages of the Europa League, but Roy Hodgson’s team looked short of energy after a long journey home from playing Russia’s Amkar Perm. In other matches, Everton defeated Wigan 2-1 at home and Manchester City won 1-0 away at Portsmouth.