Villarreal bid farewell to the LaLiga season with a deserving draw against Getafe
With not much more to play for than pride and finishing the season on a good note, Villarreal put in a competitive performance and came away with a deserving draw away from home (2-2) against Getafe, who were playing for a Champions League spot, at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez. Goals by Iborra, in the first half, and Gerard, in the second, meant the Yellow Submarine could finish the season with one more point in the bag, taking them up to 14th place in the table.
The match swung in favour of the locals early on, with Portillo putting Getafe in front after a good assist by Jorge Molina.
In the 22nd minute, VAR intervened to rule out another goal for the home side. Hugo Duro’s goal was disallowed due to a previous offside by Jaime Mata.
Approaching half time, Villarreal CF took control of the game. Just before the break, Iborra jumped higher than anyone else in the box to head home a corner kick to even things up. 1-1. A minute before, Alfonso Pedraza tested David Soria with a powerful strike but the Getafe goalkeeper was equal to it.
In the second half, Andrés Fernández came up big on a number of occasions to keep it all square on the score board. A series of good saves kept the locals at bay time and time again. Nevertheless, in the 75th minute, Maksimovic managed to beat him to put Getafe in the lead once more. The Serbian headed the ball into the far corner, out of reach for the Villarreal keeper.
It was not over yet though. The Yellow Submarine attacked ambitiously, not wanting to leave the Coliseum empty-handed. The Yellows pushed forward and got their reward late on through Gerard Moreno. Iborra’s header forced Soria to make a stretching save, but the rebound fell to the Yellows No.7, who made no mistake from close range. 2-2.
Villarreal came away with a hard-earned point from a tough place to play, which sees the 2018/19 season come to an end. A 14th place finish for Villarreal and, most importantly, a guaranteed place in the First Division for one more year.
Lineups:
Getafe: Soria; Damián Suárez, Bruno, Cabrera, Foulquier; Portillo (Gaku, m. 84), Maksimovic, Arambarri, Hugo Duro (Ángel, m. 56); Jorge Molina and Mata (Samu Saiz, m. 68).
Villarreal: Andrés Fdez; J. Costa, Álvaro, Funes Mori, Quintillà; Raba, Iborra, Trigueros (Morlanes, m. 81), Javi Fuego (S. Cazorla, m. 71), Pedraza; and Bacca (Gerard, m. 62).
Goals: 1-0. Min. 13: Portillo. 1-1. Min. 43: Iborra. 2-1. Min. 75: Ángel. 2-2. Min. 87: Gerard.
Referee: Estrada Fernández. Booked: Maksimovic and Damián Suárez for Getafe. Andrés Fernández, Álvaro and Iborra for Villarreal.
Information: Match between Getafe and Villarreal corresponding to LaLiga Matchday 38 played at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez in front of 13,579 spectators.
