Villarreal fall to Valencia at Mestalla (3-0)
Villarreal lost against Valencia (3-0) in a match that saw the locals net three courtesy of Diakhaby, Cheryshev and Rodrigo.
The Yellow Submarine set up in a 4-2-3-1 at Mestalla, with Luis García opting for Pedraza on the left wing and Víctor Ruiz at centre back, these being the main differnces in the starting eleven compared to the Yellows’ lineup against Athletic Club in their last league match.
The home side took the lead with their first chance of the game. After just three minutes of play, Diakhaby headed the ball in from a Parejo free kick. The goal was a tough blow early on for the Yellows, who struggled to get back into the game for a few minutes after Valencia’s opener.
In the 13th minute, Villarreal had their first chance. Castellón born midfielder Pablo Fornals showed his intentions by testing Neto with a powerful strike from the right.
The likes of Alfonso Pedraza, Pablo Fornals and Santi Cazorla were keeping the ball more in Valencia’s half of the pitch, but to no avail, as chances were few and far between. Just before the break Valencia hit the post with a long range shot from Dani Parejo.
After the restart, Villarreal were caught off guard again. In the 51st minute, Valencia took advantage of a Yellows mistake to score their second. Denis Cheryshev was set up by Dani Parejo in the box and beat Asenjo with a shot across goal.
Five minutes later Villarreal responded, but were out of luck again. Álvaro had an excellent chance to pull one back with a header deep in the box, but his effort was saved by Neto.
With his side 2-0 down, Luis García Plaza made three substitutions in the space of five minutes. Carlos Bacca, Samu Chukwueze and Gerard Moreno were introduced to change the game.
Villarreal went in search of a goal in earnest, but could not find the back of the net. In the 85th minute, Rodrigo scored the third goal of the game for Valencia from inside the box and that’s how it finished (3-0).
Villarreal’s next match will be next Sunday against RCD Espanyol (Estadio de la Cerámica, 12pm CET).
Lineups:
Valencia CF: Neto; Piccini, Garay, Diakhaby, Gayá; Soler (Ferran Torres, m. 76), Coquelin, Parejo, Cheryshev (Wass, m. 73); Rodrigo and Mina (Kang In, m. 83).
Villarreal CF: Asenjo; Mario, Álvaro, Víctor Ruiz, Costa; Cazorla (Chukwueze, m. 59), Trigueros, Iborra, Pedraza (Bacca, m. 59), Fornals (Gerard, m. 64); and Ekambi.
Goals: 1-0. Min. 3: Diakhaby. 2-0. Min 51: Cheryshev. 3-0. Min. 85: Rodrigo.
Referee: Del Cerro Grande. Booked: Gayá for Valencia; Víctor Ruiz, Iborra and Mario for Villarreal.
Match Information: Match corresponding to Matchday 21 of LaLiga between Valencia and Villarreal at Mestalla Stadium in front of 37,685 spectators.
