Alavés 1 - Villarreal 1

Alavés: Costanzo; Gaspar, Juanito, Pellegrini, Coromina; Astudillo, Wesley (Lacen 65'), Carpintero, Nené; Rubén Navarro (Jandro 55'), Bodipo (Aloisi 74'). 4-4-2.
Villarreal: Viera; Javi Venta, Gonzalo Rodríguez, César Arzo, Arruabarrena; Josico (Tacchinardi 73'), Marcos Senna (Héctor Font 77'); Roger, José Marí, Sorín (Cazorla 65'); Figueroa. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Alavés: Coromina, Carpintero, Rubén Navarro for Carreras, De Lucas, Jandro / Villarreal: César Arzo, Roger, Figueroa for Peña, Riquelme, Diego Forlán.

Goals:
0-1. 03. Roger. Beat Costanzo at second attempt after José Marí laid ball back.
1-1. 12. Nené. Rounded keeper to score after Navarro and Bodipo set him up.

Alavés and Villarreal shared the points in the opening game on Saturday after drawing 1-1, a result which leaves the home side still down in the relegation zone. With Riquelme nursing an injury and rested for the Champions League, Roger took advantage of his first start of the season to put the visitors ahead in only the third minute of the game, his first effort being blocked by the keeper but his second finding the back of the net.

Figueroa had headed just wide before that as the visitors got off to an electric start, but the goal woke up the locals and Rubén Navarro rattled the post with a well struck free kick minutes later. And with the game still only twelve minutes old, Navarro's cross was played on by Bodipo to Nené, who turned his defender before beating Viera with a shot from the edge of the area.

The pace slowed after that though, and there were no real chances for either side until around the hour mark, when César Arzo cleared off the line from Bodipo with the keeper beaten. With one eye on their Champions League game against Benfica, Villarreal sat back to defend their point, but Aloisi could have won it for Alavés when he hit the post again late on.