In the first leg of their Europa League campaign, Almería and Villarreal have been on the losing side in both matches. The home team has come back from two goals down to win 2-1 at the Estadio de La Plata, while the visitors had earlier fallen behind but fought back to win 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The match was a classic clash between the two sides, with both teams playing with a strong attacking style that led to plenty of chances for both sides. However, it was Almería who scored the decisive goal, scoring the opening goal through the penalty spot following a corner kick from a corner play by the hosts.

Griezmann, the star of the show for Villarreal, opened the scoring with his second goal of the night, after being played offside by goalkeeper Carlos Camacho. However, Almería responded with a brace from Sergio Ramos and a stunning header from Luis Suárez to level the score at 2-2.

It was then that it all came together for Almería as they dominated possession and created many opportunities for themselves. Their captain, Jordi Alba, was particularly impressive, scoring the winner with a beautiful free-kick from outside the box after a long ball into the box.

With just over three minutes remaining, Simeone made a change from his starting XI and brought on Javier Mascherano for the injured Luka Modric. This was a tactical move that paid off well as Almería took the lead again with a powerful finish from a tight angle.

Simeone's tactics were paying off with Almería continuing to dominate possession and create chances. They also managed to keep a lid on Villarreal's attacking threat with a solid defensive line and some clever substitutions throughout the game.

In the end, it was a great performance from both teams, with both sides coming away with points. It will be interesting to see how this season progresses for both clubs and if there is any way to take something positive away from the match.