Europa League: Levski Sofia at Villareal

For the second time in a week, I attended a soccer match at Villareal. Last Sunday was for a La Liga match. Last night was for Villareal’s opening match in the Europa League versus Levski Sofia.

Parking at Villareal
With the Ultimate Sports Wife with me and torrential rains falling, I dropped off Nicole at the box office before I parked on the street. As was the case Sunday, I parked a few blocks from the stadium.

Obtaining Tickets
Once again, I bought tickets in the visitors section for the match – 30 euros versus 40 euros in the Villareal section. Since it was raining, I did not want to buy tickets from a season ticket holder and risk sitting under the open skies. Also I figured if Mallorca’s fans did not travel on a Sunday, then Levski Sofia’s fans would not travel on a Thursday even for a Europa League match. My assumption was correct. However, there were more away fans at this match than Sunday’s match.

Pre Game Bar
Before the game, we made our way around to the visitor’s entrance and stopped in at Bar El Submarino De La Bruja – directly next to the visitor’s entrance. The rain stopped when we needed to enter the stadium.

Estadio El Madrigal
Estadio El Madrigal is nothing special – especially the visitors section. They have one concession stand to buy drinks and snacks (remember no alcoholic beverages sold in stadiums in Spain). The stadium is smaller than the Mestalla in Spain which is probably why their lowest ticket price is higher.

The Game
Once again it rained for most of the match but the players could pass the ball across the field without it stopping immediately. Villareal won their opening match of the Europa League 1-0. Sofia fans seemed happy for a 0-0 draw but Nilmar scored in the 72nd minute.