Match Analysis: Villarreal 2-2 Real Madrid

Gareth Bale scored on his debut for Real Madrid as the former Spanish champions were held to a 2-2 draw at Villarreal in La Liga.

Cani sent the home side into the lead after 21 minutes, but a close-range finish from Bale ensured that the two teams entered the interval on level terms.

Cristiano Ronaldo put Madrid ahead with 64 minutes on the clock, but Giovani dos Santos levelled for the home side with little under 20 minutes of football remaining.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.

Match statistics:

Villarreal: Shots: 13 On target: 9 Possession: 42% Corners: 10 Fouls: 13

Real Madrid: Shots: 15 On target: 6 Possession: 58% Corners: 3 Fouls: 14

Was the result fair?

On the balance of play, Madrid were lucky to pick up a point this evening. Villarreal started the match with an incredible tempo and deservedly took the lead with 21 minutes on the clock. The away side did improve in the latter stages of the half before dominating the early minutes of the second, but Villarreal certainly finished the stronger team. It would have been an injustice if the newly-promoted side did not gather at least a point from the match.

Villarreal's performance

On their return to Spain's top flight, Villarreal have taken 10 points from their first four games. Many thought that they would be under constant pressure this evening, but they were the team in the ascendancy for long periods of the contest. If they can continue this level of performance, then it would not be a surprise to see them in the top six come the end of the season.

Real Madrid's performance

Like Barcelona, Madrid were impressive in forward areas this evening, but were found wanting in defence. It is no exaggeration to say that they could have been 3-0 down at the interval, but the first half was all about Bale, who scored on his debut for the capital outfit. It has been an encouraging start to the season, but they are still some way off their best form.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Cani: All the talk was about Bale before the match, but the evening belonged to Cani. The experienced Spaniard was in stunning form as he sent his side into the lead, before playing a key role in their equaliser. The 32-year-old is one of the main reasons why Villarreal have enjoyed such a confident start to the season.

Biggest gaffe of the match

Juanma Costa had a wonderful chance to send Villarreal into the lead in the early stages of the second period, but somehow he fired wide of the post with Diego Lopez out of position. In the end, his side managed to secure a share of the spoils, but it could and perhaps should have been three points.

Referee performance

It was not an easy match for Fernando Teixeira to officiate with the incredible intensity, but the Spaniard coped well under the circumstances. There was hardly a challenge of note in the first period, but that did change after the interval. Madrid had a late penalty shout when Angel di Maria went down inside the box, but Teixeira rightly allowed the play to continue.

What next?

Villarreal: The Yellow Submarine will attempt to record their fourth league win of the season when they travel to Celta Vigo next weekend.

Real Madrid: Madrid are in Champions League action on Tuesday when they travel to Turkish outfit Galatasaray, before returning to league action at home to Getafe next weekend.