Villarreal earn all three points against Las Palmas with goals from Baena and Ayoze
Villarreal got an important win against UD Las Palmas (1-2) thanks to goals from Álex Baena and Ayoze Pérez in a match in which Marcelino’s team was solid in defence and lethal in attack. With this victory, the Submarine stay in the fight for the Champions League and consolidate their position in the European spots.
The Submarine, who played in black because the home team play in yellow, knew how to control the tempo of the game.
The first half was extremely even, with no clear goal-scoring chances for either team. The Submarine were looking for the formula to connect with Ayoze and Barry, but could not find a way to hurt the tidy home defence.
Las Palmas had a couple of close calls in the first half, but neither of them required Diego Conde to get involved.
The game was a duel between individuals who were lost amidst the defensive intensity of the opposition, with defences triumphing over attacks.
The second half was more productive. Especially for Villarreal CF. Just at the start of the second half, Baena came close to beating Cillesen from distance. It was the precursor to the opener. It was the 52nd minute of play when Sergi Cardona crossed low from the left for Álex Baena to score the first goal of the game with a shot that the UD Las Palmas goalkeeper could do nothing about. It was Cardona’s sixth assist of the season.
Yeremy opened up on the right flank for Baena, who crossed back for Ayoze Pérez to score the Submarine’s second goal. Spectacular.
Tajon Buchanan’s debut
In the 75th minute, Canadian Tajon Buchanan made his debut in a Villarreal shirt, replacing an exhausted Yeremy Pino.
UD Las Palmas made it 1-2 in the 83rd minute. Manu Fuster, with some good fortune after a touch from Juan Foyth, scored for the islanders to make the final moments exciting. Even more so when McBurnie hit the crossbar with a bicycle kick. It was a heart-stopping moment.
Villarreal’s next match will be an exciting derby at the Estadio de la Cerámica against Valencia CF (Saturday, 15th February).
