Villarreal beat Athletic Club and establish themselves in fifth place in the LaLiga Santander
It wasn’t a final, but almost. Villarreal beat Athletic Club at the Estadio de la Cerámica and establish themselves in fifth place in the LaLiga Sanatander thanks to three goals by Víctor Ruiz, Bakambu and Adrián, who cancelled out Laporte’s equalizer. The Yellows took a huge step towards Europe in front of a devoted crowd.
The Submarine struck first. Samu Castillejo demonstrated his tremendous ability with the ball at his feet once again, nutmegging Yeray and hitting a powerful shot across goal which hit the far post. Víctor Ruiz was alert though and made the most of the rebound, smashing the ball into the back of the net to open the scoring (1-0, m. 16). The Estadio de la Cerámica roared with joy. But it didn’t last long for the Yellows. Athletic equalized from a corner kick with Laporte scoring at the back post.
For the rest of the first half it was a very even encounter. The best chance fell to the Yellows as Mario hit a brilliant shot that tested Kepa, but he was equal to it.
The second half had barely started when the Yellows made it 2-1. Roberto Soriano played a fantastic through ball to Bakambu and the number 17 got away from his defender and buried his shot into the far bottom corner.
Villarreal were a real handful. So much so that they soon scored a third. It was a rehearsed play that turned out perfectly. Trigueros put a great cross in, Víctor Ruiz knocked the ball into the six yard box and Adrián emerged from a sea of Athletic players to score. Magnificent.
The match seemed to be on the right track, but the sending off of Víctor Ruiz, for a foul on Williams (m. 73), complicated things. With 20 minutes to go on the clock the game was set for an exciting finish, but the score line did not budge. Well done, lads!
Villarreal’s next match is on Monday 17th April against Deportivo Alavés at the Mendizorroza stadium (8:45pm CET).
Lineups:
Villarreal CF: Andrés; Mario, Musacchio, Víctor Ruiz, Jaume Costa; Samu Castillejo (Adrián, m. 37), Bruno, Trigueros, Soriano; Bakambu (Sansone, m. 70) and Soldado (Álvaro, m. 75).
Athletic Club: Kepa Arrizabalaga; De Marcos, Yeray, Laporte, Balenziaga; Beñat (Iturraspe, m. 58), San José; Williams (Susaeta, m. 80), Raúl García, Lekue (Muniain, m. 58); and Aduriz.
Goals: 1-0. Min. 16: Víctor Ruiz. 1-1. Min. 19: Laporte. 2-1. Min. 46: Bakambu. 3-1. Min. 57: Adrián.
Referee: Trujillo Suárez. Cautioned: Bakambu, Soriano, Mario, Soldado, Andrés and Sansone for the locals; Beñat and Laporte for the visitors. Sent off: Víctor Ruiz (m. 73).
Match Information: Match corresponding to Matchday 31 of the LaLiga Santander played at the Estadio de la Cerámica in front of 18,403 spectators.
