Hercules and Villarreal see red in draw

Villarreal missed the chance to go top of the Spanish league on Monday after a 2-2 draw away at Hercules which saw three players sent-off.

The visitors will be ruing not taking full advantage of playing against 10-men for most of the second-half after Hercules French striker David Trezeguet was sent-off in the 44th minute.

His red card came minutes after he had put the hosts into the lead for the second time in the match – that was cancelled out by Borja Valero midway through the second-half before he too was sent-off for a dangerous tackle on Dutch international Royston Drenthe.

Their goals came after Hercules Paraguayan international Dely Valdez had given the hosts the lead in the 26th minute only for Spanish World Cup winner Joan Capdevilla to equalise three minutes later.

Trezeguet – cast out into the international wilderness by disgraced former France manager Raymond Domenech – showed his good and bad sides within four minutes towards the end of the first-half.

First he reacted quickest when a Villarreal defender made a hash of his clearance and the Euro 2000 winning striker volleyed the ball into the net.

However, minutes later he was booked and then after appearing to have said something to the referee in response to the caution, he received a second yellow card.

Hercules put 10 men behind the ball in the second-half trying to protect their slender advantage until Valero – on loan from English Premier League side West Brom – pounced in the 63rd minute when he was found unmarked on the edge of the box and he shot into the right hand corner.

Valero, though, went from hero to villain in the 80th minute as he received a straight red card for a dreadful tackle on Drenthe, and he was followed to the showers by team-mate Argentinian defender Mateo Musacchio three minutes later.