Racing lead Villarreal by two at El Sardinero — and lose it before half-time
Andrés Martín and Sergio Martínez put the promoted side 2-0 up inside 34 minutes. Pape Gueye and Nicolas Pépé had it level by 45+1', and the second half produced nothing at all.
El Sardinero got the first 34 minutes it had been waiting years for. Andrés Martín scored from the penalty spot on 21 minutes, Sergio Martínez made it two on 34, and Racing Santander were beating Villarreal by two goals on their return to LaLiga.
Eleven minutes later it was 2-2.
Two goals in the space of a minute
Pape Gueye pulled one back on 45 minutes. Nicolas Pépé equalised at 45+1'. Villarreal walked off at the interval having erased a two-goal deficit inside the added time of the first half, and the second half never produced a third for either side.
The shape of the game is in the numbers. Villarreal had 59% of the ball and passed at 90%; Racing had 41% and 82%. But Racing took 17 shots to Villarreal's 12 and finished with the better expected goals figure, 2.00 to 0.87 — eight of their attempts were blocked, which is what a two-goal lead defended by a full-strength Villarreal box tends to look like.
Match facts
- 21' — Andrés Martín (Racing Santander), penalty
- 34' — Sergio Martínez (Racing Santander)
- 45' — Pape Gueye (Villarreal)
- 45+1' — Nicolas Pépé (Villarreal)
| Stat | Racing Santander | Villarreal |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 41% | 59% |
| Total shots | 17 | 12 |
| Shots on target | 3 | 7 |
| Shots blocked | 8 | 2 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.00 | 0.87 |
| Accurate passes | 315 (82%) | 485 (90%) |
| Corners | 6 | 10 |
| Offsides | 1 | 3 |
| Fouls committed | 14 | 14 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 4 |
| Saves | 5 | 3 |
What's next
Racing go to Getafe on Sunday 23 August, against a side still on zero points and zero goals. Villarreal have the harder afternoon the same day: Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano, who opened with a 2-0 win over Málaga.
What came next
That Getafe trip did go against Racing, 1-0, and the opening-day comeback turned out to be the calm before a rough run. A 3-2 home win over Elche on 28 August was the high point; after that came a 2-3 defeat away to Rayo Vallecano on 5 September, a 2-1 home win over Alavés on the 12th, and then the two heaviest results of their season either side of the international break — a 7-2 thrashing at Barcelona and a 5-0 defeat away to Celta Vigo.
Villarreal's own results stayed just as uneven. They drew again a week later, 2-2 at Atlético Madrid, then lost three in a row: 0-1 at Alavés, 2-3 at home to Deportivo La Coruña, and 2-3 away to Borussia Dortmund in their opening Champions League group game. A 1-2 home defeat to Real Betis on 14 September followed before back-to-back wins — 3-1 away at Málaga and 3-1 at home to Levante — finally settled them into mid-table.
Where the table stands now
Seven matchdays in, Racing Santander sit 15th with 7 points from two wins, one draw and four losses — 11 goals scored, 21 conceded, a goal difference of -10. That leaves them three places and just two points clear of the relegation zone, which starts at 18th with Elche on 5. Villarreal are 8th on 8 points from two wins, two draws and three losses, with 13 scored and 12 against. They sit two points short of the Conference League play-off spot, held by Deportivo La Coruña in 7th on 10, and three short of the automatic Europa League place, held by Alavés in 6th on 11.
The two clubs have not met again since that opening night at El Sardinero — this 2-2 remains their only meeting of the LaLiga season so far, so there is no head-to-head trend to draw on yet beyond that single, dramatic 45 minutes.
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