AFP, Madrid :
Champions Atletico Madrid missed the chance to go clear at the top in Spain on Sunday but came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Villarreal thanks to a howler of a late own goal.
In the fifth minute of injury time, an horrific back-pass from Villarreal’s Aissa Mandi left his ‘keeper stranded and the ball rolled agonisingly into the goal to give Atletico a point.
Earlier, Barcelona also dug deep for a narrow 2-1 win over Getafe with Dutch striker Memphis Depay providing the winner.
Luis Suarez was on target for the first equaliser for Atletico.
Manu Triguera and then Arnaut Danjuma put the visitors ahead twice before the late blunder left Atletico on seven points from three games.
“That’s the joy of not losing a match that was heading in that direction,” Atletico coach Diego Simeoene said.
“It was an injustice, but this game can be like that,” he said of the late leveller. “It was our best game so far.”
Real Madrid top the early Liga standings but Sevilla, Valencia, Barcelona, Mallorca and now Atletico also have seven.
Triguera opened for the visitors shooting into the top corner on 52 minutes, but Suarez pounced inside the box to bring it level four minutes later.
