MADRID, Jan 10 — Geoffrey Kondogbia rescued a point for Atletico Madrid with a second-half strike that secured the champions a 2-2 draw with Villarreal in a breathtaking La Liga clash on Sunday.
Striker Angel Correa scored a brilliant goal from midfield to hand Atletico the lead but Pau Torres equalised after pouncing on a rebound following a free kick in the 29th minute.
Villarreal went ahead early in the second half after Alberto Moreno fired in a low shot but Kondogbia made sure Atletico earned a share of the points when he netted past goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.
Atletico are fourth in standings with 33 points from 20 matches, 16 points behind leaders Real Madrid. Villarreal are just outside the European spots, eighth with 29 points.
Atletico’s Correa intercepted a pass from Dani Parejo in the centre circle and lobbed Rulli with a dazzling effort to score.
“I know Rulli pretty well and know that he likes to stay far away from the goal. So when I saw it, I went all in and the kick was right in,” Correa told reporters.
Jan Oblak appeared to have preserved Atletico’s lead when he blocked a Gerard Moreno penalty kick in the 23rd minute but Torres pounced on the rebound to level at 1-1.
The hosts then went ahead when Gerard Moreno slipped the ball through to Alberto Moreno, who rifled into the back of the net.
However, their lead lasted less than 10 minutes as Kondogbia’s strike secured Atletico a point.
Atletico were reduced to 10 men in the dying seconds when Kondogbia was sent off for a second yellow card.
Earlier on Sunday, second-place Sevilla secured a 1-0 win against Getafe thanks to an early Rafa Mir goal. They trail leaders Real by five points with a game in hand. — Reuters
