Villarreal seals victory as Oviedo feels reality
Villarreal scored a 2-0 home win to kick off its LaLiga campaign as Oviedo was reduced to 10 men in a harsh reality check for the newly-promoted visitors.
After Ovideo veteran Santi Cazorla was presented with a framed club shirt to represent his 334th appearance, the visitors had the perfect chance to take the lead from the penlty spot on 12 minutes.
But Salomon Rondon's weak effort was easily repelled by Luiz Junior in the Villarreal goal, and the opportunity for the new boys was lost.
Alberto Reina then compounded the misery for the visitors when he was booked on 27 minutes for the second time in nine minutes, leading to a red card that left his side a player short.
Villarreal almost scored from the resulting free-kick, but the corner it created led to the opener eventually, Etta Eyong powering a head home to put his side into a deserved lead.
Eyong should have doubled the lead in the 35th minute but fired over from close range, however just as the first goal had come from a near miss, the second did, too, as Pape Gueye fired home from the edge of the box to end Villarreal's very next attack.
Aaron Escandell was forced into a save from Nicola Pepe to keep the score at 2-0 before the break, and that is how it stayed until full-time, sealing a solid three points for the hosts as Oviedo left with the full understanding this season in Spain's top flight could be a challenging one.
