test2wa

La Liga

Nine-man Villarreal twice hit back from being behind to beat Getafe 3-2 in a highly entertaining encounter at El Madrigal.

Spain full-back Joan Capdevila struck twice, including an 86th-minute winner.

Capdevila was not the only member of Spain's Euro 2008-winning side to shine for Villarreal either, with midfielder Santi Cazorla scoring a stunning 67th-minute equaliser just two minutes after entering the action on his comeback from injury.

Villarreal's victory, which came despite the dismissals of Ruben Cani and Angel Lopez at either end of the second half, was their sixth successive triumph at home in all competitions and lifts them up to 11th.

For inconsistent Getafe, the defeat means they have still not drawn a league game and they stay in ninth spot.

Michel's side could hardly have asked for a better start as Pedro Leon put them ahead early on.

There were less than three minutes on the clock when Jaime Gavilan's cross reached Leon after flicking off the head of Villarreal defender Ivan Marcano, and the 23-year-old slammed an unstoppable volley past Diego Lopez from just inside the box.

Having beaten Espanyol and Xerez in their last two matches, Getafe were seeking to record three successive Primera Division victories for this first time since 2007, and Roberto Soldado really should have put them closer to that goal in the 11th minute.

The in-form striker skipped past Diego Godin and, after screaming for offside team-mate Gavilan to leave the ball alone, had only former Real Madrid team-mate Lopez to beat, but he side-footed his effort wide of the post.

Soldado, fresh from his hat-trick against Xerez last weekend, was made to rue that miss as seven minutes later Villarreal were on level terms thanks to Capdevila.

Marcos Senna fed the ball to his Spain team-mate and the left-back unleashed a right-footed shot from the edge of the area that was too powerful for Getafe goalkeeper Oscar Ustari to keep out as it arrowed into the top corner.

There was little to separate the two sides in the remainder of the half, but Villarreal almost went ahead in the 42nd minute when Giuseppe Rossi broke through only to be denied by Ustari.

That was a worrying end to the half for Getafe, but the visitors started the second period on the front foot.

Just five minutes in Cani was adjudged to have brought down Javi Casquero inside the area, to not only concede a penalty but also earn himself a straight red card.

Cani and his team-mates were astonished at the decision, but there was no changing the referee's mind and Soldado stepped up to slam home his eighth league goal of the season from the resulting penalty. Lopez had saved two penalties against Sporting Gijon last weekend, but he was left with no chance tonight.

Once again though, Getafe could not hold onto their advantage as Villarreal drew level again in the 67th minute through Cazorla.

The diminutive midfielder had not played since October due to injury but he showed no signs of rustiness as he picked up a pass on the edge of the Getafe area before firing home a brilliant volley past Ustari.

That goal gave Villarreal a huge confidence boost and, despite their numerical disadvantage, they pushed forward for the win and were rewarded when Godin played the ball across goal for Capdevila to slot home into an empty net.

Villarreal were reduced to nine men in injury-time when Angel earned a second yellow, but Ernesto Valverde's men had done enough to claim a remarkable win.