Gareth Bale scored twice but was sent off in Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw for receiving two yellow cards.
Real were severely weakened by six injuries to attacking players and fell behind in the 11th minute when captain Sergio Ramos lost the ball in his own half and Villarreal broke quickly, with Gerard Moreno scoring on the rebound.
Bale equalized in stoppage time of the first half by tapping in a cross from Dani Carvajal from close range but Villarreal restored their lead in the 74th minute through Moi Gomez after Karim Benzema had a goal ruled out for offside.
Bale again pulled Madrid out of trouble with a powerful low strike in the 88th minute but somehow contrived to get himself sent off by earning two yellow cards for fouls in stoppage time.
Madrid has picked up five points from their opening three games, one more than champions Barcelona, but Zinedine Zidane’s side is four points behind early leaders Atletico Madrid, who have won all three matches.
Zidane criticized his side for their lackluster start but was pleased with how they reacted to going behind.
