( CNN ) -- In his dreams it was probably a 30-yard screamer that ripped a hole in the roof of the net . The reality , of course , was different as Gareth Bale , the world 's most expensive footballer , bundled the ball home from six yards out . It did n't matter . Bale may have made his name scoring spectacular individual goals for his previous club Tottenham Hotspur , but like all great players the 24-year-old has the knack of being in the right place at the right time . Read more : Real Madrid fork out $ 132 million for Bale . His 38th minute goal against Villarreal -- stabbing in Daniel Carvajal 's low cross -- came at just the right time for his new team . The Spanish giants were second best for much of the first half and were trailing after Cani 's 19th minute strike gave the hosts a deserved lead . Bale , who is still not fully fit after recovering from a groin injury , came out for the second half but only lasted 15 minutes -- his best effort a trademark long shot which flew narrowly over the crossbar . Read more : Real Madrid unveil Gareth Bale at Bernabeu . Shortly after scampering down the right wing , ball at feet , Bale 's debut was over as Carlo Ancelotti hauled off his most expensive asset . But he had already made his mark . Cristiano Ronaldo gave Real the lead shortly after the Welshman departed -- his deflected shot finding the back of the net in the 64th minute before Giovani dos Santos equalized six minutes later . And that 's how it stayed as both teams dropped their first points of the season . Blog : Will Belgium win the World Cup ? The 2-2 draw leaves Real Madrid in fourth place , level on ten points with Villarreal who are third . Earlier on Saturday , Barcelona maintained their 100 % start to the new season , but only just , squeaking past Sevilla 3-2 at the Nou Camp . Read more : Gareth Bale and the curse of the British abroad . Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez 's dramatic injury time winner saw Barcelona claim three points after looking like they had thrown away two . Dani Alves put the home side ahead with a 36th minute header and when Lionel Messi scored to make it 2-0 with 15 minutes to go all was going according to plan . But when Ivan Rakitic scored for Sevilla in the 80th minute and Coke equalized in added time , Barcelona looked to have blown it . Not for the first time , Messi showed his class when it mattered , engaging the brains and boots of several defenders before threading the ball back to Sanchez who stabbed the ball home . Barca 's fourth win of the season keeps them top of the table , level on points and goal difference with Atletico Madrid who completed a more comfortable 4-2 win over Almeria . In Saturday 's other La Liga fixture , Levante drew 0-0 with Real Sociedad . Meanwhile in Serie A , Inter Milan and Juventus dropped their first points of the season after drawing 1-1 . The stalemate at the San Siro opened the door for Napoli to sit alone at the top of the table , at least for 24 hours , after they beat Atalanta 2-0 at the Stadio San Paolo . Fiorentina can join Rafa Benitez 's side on nine points if they beat Cagliari on Sunday . AC Milan have a 2-2 draw with Torino to add to the loss and win they opened the season with . Saturday 's result leaves both teams with four points from three games .
Gareth Bale scores on debut for new club Real Madrid in 2 - 2 draw with Villarreal . World 's most expensive footballer scores in the 38th minute of debut . Barcelona keep 100 % record in league with dramatic win over Sevilla . Joint champions Atletico Madrid also maintain perfect start with 4 - 2 win against Barcelona .