Sevilla go third as Villarreal's Bruno returns from injury

MADRID - Sevilla climbed back up to third place in La Liga on Monday after a 2-2 draw at Villarreal, as Bruno Soriano played for the first time in over three years following his injury nightmare.

Paco Alcacer put Villarreal ahead on 18 minutes and Pau Torres restored the lead on the stroke of half-time after Sevilla captain Sergio Escudero had drilled in from outside the area.

Munir El Haddadi ensured Sevilla came away with a point that put them back above Atletico Madrid, who face Levante on Tuesday, with an equaliser on 63 minutes to snap Villarreal's three-match winning run.

The draw pushed Villarreal into the Europa League spots at the expense of Real Sociedad, while the introduction of Bruno for the final few minutes marked the end of an injury-decimated spell dating back to May 2017.

Bruno, who was part of the Spain squad at Euro 2016, made his first appearance in 1,128 days when he replaced Alcacer, having been sidelined for the best part of three seasons by a career-threatening knee injury.

"I don't know what to say," an emotional Bruno told Movistar. "It's been so long since I played that I almost don't know what to say.

"This is really important for me. I've tried to return a lot of times. I won't lie, at times I thought it would be better not to carry on."

Barcelona can reclaim top spot at home to Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday, with Real Madrid -- above their rivals on head-to-head record -- hosting Mallorca on Wednesday.

AFP