Villarreal finish 5th after drawing against Real Madrid with goals by Martínez and Castillejo
The Yellows have finished the season and they did it with a bang! Villarreal came back after going 0-2 down against Real Madrid on the last day of the LaLiga 2017/18 season and finish the league in a magnificent position, taking them directly through to the Group Stage of next season’s UEFA Europa League (2-2). Villarreal had already secured the fifth place finish before kick-off, as Betis lost against Leganés, but the Yellows wanted to see out the season as it deserved to be finished. It was an exciting encounter and Villarreal’s goals were scored by Roger Martínez and Samu Castillejo in the second half. Saudi Arabian international, Salem made his debut for the Yellows first team and the Estadio de la Cerámica gave the squad a standing ovation after the final whistle for a spectacular season.
Including the 2018/19 season it will be 15 (13 without counting the Intertoto Cup) season Villarreal has played in European cometitions and 19 (counting the next one) season in Spain’s top flight.
The Submarine got off to a good start against Real Madrid in the opening minutes. Enes had the first chance after receiving a through ball from Pablo Fornals, but the Turk pulled his shot wide of the post.
The visitors took the lead soon after. Bale received the ball on the top of the box, turned and scored with his right (0-1). Impossible for Andrés Fernández to keep out, the Villarreal goalkeeper returned to play after a serious knee injury tonight. His last match was against Real Sociedad at the Anoeta stadium on Matchday 2 (25th August 2017).
On the half an hour mark, Fornals almost equalised. The number 8 hit a great strike with his left foot that just missed the post. Then Madrid struck again. Marcelo crossed the ball in from the left wing and Cristiano headed the ball home from close range (0-2, m. 31).
At the start of the second half, the Yellow Submarine had another great chance. Sansone hit a fantastic free kick which forced Luca Zidane to make a fine save
Salem Al Dawsari’s debut
In the 57th minute Salem Al Dawsari made his debut in a Villarreal shirt replacing Javi Fuego. The fans welcomed him with rapturous applause. He put in a brilliant performance, his quality on show for all to see at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
Great goal by Roger Martínez
Villarreal’s first (1-2) was courtesy of Roger Martínez. The Colombian had only been on the pitch three minutes before he sent the Estadio de la Cerámica wild. He controlled out on the left side of the Madrid area and cut inside, before smashing the ball into the top corner with his right foot. Impressive.
The Submairne wanted more. They wanted to give the fans a positive result on the final matchday of the season. And then came the equaliser. Rodrigo Hernández played a ball over to Samu Castillejo who took the ball around Luca and passed it into the net. As the local festivities in Vila-real come to a close, the Yellow Submarine gifted an outstanding to perfomance to their fans. Heroes dressed in yellow. Congratulations groguets!
Lineups:
Villarreal CF: Andrés Fernández; Mario, Bonera, Álvaro, Adrián Marín; Rodrigo, Javi Fuego (Salem, m. 57); Soriano, Fornals (Castillejo, m. 76), Sansone; and Enes Ünal (Roger Martínez, m. 67).
Real Madrid CF: Luca; Carvajal, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric (Lucas Vázquez, m. 61), Isco (Kovacic, m. 72); Bale and Ronaldo (Benzema, m. 61).
Goals: 0-1. Min. 10: Bale. 0-2. Min. 31: Ronaldo. 1-2. Min. 70: Roger Martínez. 2-2. Min. 85: Castillejo.
Referee: Sánchez Martínez. Cautioned: Álvaro, Castillejo, Roger Martínez and Salem for Villarreal; Modric, Casemiro and Kroos for Madrid.
Match Information: Match corresponding to LaLiga Matchday 38 to be played at the Estadio de la Cerámica in front of 18,891 spectators.
