Ronaldo [Images] maintained his brilliant record against Atletico Madrid when he struck twice to lead Real Madrid [Images] to a 3-0 victory at the Calderon that sent them top of the Primera Liga on Saturday.

The Brazilian opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the eighth minute after Atletico Madrid defender Antonio Lopez was sent off for a foul on Raul and grabbed his second with a pinpoint finish after the break.

A miserable night for Atletico ended when defender Luis Perea turned a Robinho cross into his own net as Ronaldo bore down on him in injury time.

Ronaldo stayed down after the goal and was carried off on a stretcher just before the final whistle with an ankle injury.

He has now scored 10 goals in seven league matches for Real against Atletico, while his side have won on their last four visits to the Calderon.

Real's victory put them top with 15 points from seven games, one ahead of Getafe who can reclaim the lead if they win a tough away match at Real Betis on Sunday.

The game of the night, though, came at the Riazor where a late strike from substitute Ruben Castro earned Deportivo Coruna an exciting 3-3 draw at home to Barcelona.

The draw kept Barcelona in fifth place, level on 10 points with Deportivo and five adrift of Real.

Depor took the lead in the 10th minute when Juan Carlos Valeron steered a rebound home after winger Pedro Munitis had snapped up a loose clearance and fired a fierce shot onto the post.

But, with a goal under their belt, Deportivo sat back and handed the initiative to Barcelona who drew level four minutes from the break after some superb interplay between Ronaldinho [Images], Deco and Samuel Eto'o.

Ronaldinho clipped the ball across the area, Eto'o exchanged an exquisite one-two with Deco and then volleyed past a helpless Jose Molina in the Depor goal.

BAMBOOZLED

Four minutes later Barca were in front. Ronaldinho picked up an Eto'o pass on the left of the area, bamboozled defender Manuel Pablo with a quick swivel of the hips, sped past him and then stroked a low shot past Molina into the far corner.

The Brazilian made it 3-1 six minutes into the second half when he smashed a penalty high into the net after Molina brought down Deco as he darted into the area, but Munitis kept Depor in the game with a sweetly struck curler 17 minutes from time.

Castro earned the home side a deserved point by thrashing home a rebound after Uruguayan striker Sebastian Taborda had fired a thundering shot against the post in the 86th minute.

The match at the Calderon began in controversial fashion when referee Bernardino Gonzalez Vazquez awarded Real a penalty and sent off Atletico left back Antonio Lopez in the eighth minute after he had made contact with Raul in the area.

Gonzalez Vazquez had been the object of an unprecedented attack by Real on his impartiality ahead of the match but it was the Atletico players who were incandescent with rage at his decision.

Their complaints were to no avail, however, and Ronaldo, coolly stroked the ball home from the spot to give Real the lead.

Atletico never really recovered from the double setback and Real, and Ronaldo in particular, always looked dangerous on the break.

It took a some fine last-ditch defending from Pablo Ibanez and a great point-blank save from Leo Franco to deny the striker two clear chances before halftime.

But the Brazilian finally took advantage just after the hour when he latched onto a magnificent through pass from Guti, controlled the ball with his toe and then squeezed a shot past Franco and inside the post.

He was only denied a hat-trick when Perea put the ball into his own net as he tried to stop him latching onto a fine pass from fellow Brazilian Robinho.

• Complete football coverage