Sevilla comes back from 2 down to secure draw vs. Villarreal
Seville - Sevilla overcame a red card, missed penalty and 2-0 deficit against Villarreal on Saturday to seal a valuable point in the race for Europa League qualification.
Fresh from losing out to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Sevilla had plenty of reason for frustration.
Wissam Ben Yedder was booked twice, each time for dissent, eight minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute, with Sevilla already trailing to Dani Raba's strike nine minutes before the interval.
When Carlos Bacca put Villarreal two up at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, 10-man Sevilla looked dead and buried, particularly when Nolito missed a penalty with 15 minutes left.
Villarreal's Jaume Costa, however, had been shown a second yellow card for his protests against the spot-kick and, with both teams a man down, Sevilla came storming back.
Nolito made amends for his earlier error by converting a close-range finish and in the 82nd minute, Steven Nzonzi grabbed a dramatic equaliser, his stunning long-range shot bending inside the bottom corner for 2-2.
The draw means Sevilla stay a point behind sixth-placed Villarreal in La Liga and five adrift of Real Betis in fifth.