Villarreal beat Austria Wien with a fantastic team performance and a hat-trick from José Morales
Villarreal CF picked up their third win in Europe. Unai Emery’s side defeated FK Austria Wien (5-0) in an excellent performance from the Yellows, who, led by a hat-trick from Jose Morales, who gave the Austrian side no chance.
The Submarine arrived at the European showdown as leaders of Group C, with six points, after two valuable victories against Lech Poznan (4-3) and Hapoel Be’er Sheva (1-2). The Yellows were looking for a third consecutive win and thus take a giant step towards qualifying top of the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage.
With a very tight schedule until the World Cup, Unai Emery took advantage of the European matchday to make rotations in the Villarreal CF eleven. The coach from Hondarribia once again brought on young players such as Jorgensen, Dela, Cuenca and Morlanes.
Villarreal played a lively and direct football from the very beginning of the game. Morlanes’ vision and Baena’s quick runs, together with the verticality of players such as Jackson, Chukwueze and Danjuma, provided the perfect combination for goals and entertainment at the Ciutat de València.
Villarreal’s first goal did not take long to come. In the 18th minute, Baena lifted the crowd out of their seats after scoring a truly spectacular goal. The Almeria midfielder sent a fantastic ball into the top corner, thanks to Samu Chukwueze, who, after elegantly getting away from his defender, crossed to the far post when he saw the Yellows ’16’ unmarked.
Before the half-hour mark, Fitz’s free-kick hit the corner of the crossbar. The young Austrian midfielder’s strike was the visitors’ best chance of the first half. The second came in the opening minutes of the game. Fischer’s header narrowly missed Jorgensen’s goal.
With half-time approaching, Villarreal struck for the second time. The Yellows scored the second goal, courtesy of Arnaut Danjuma. The Dutch winger received a pass from the wing of Álex Baena, outpaced the opposition defenders, and toe-poked the ball into the far corner of the net. The Cobra’s comeback was already a reality.
With 2-0 on the scoreboard, Emery gave minutes to Lo Celso, Capoue and Morales, thus dosing the effort of players like Baena, Coquelin and N. Jackson. Later, in the 65th minute, Parejo and Pino came on, replacing Danjuma and Chukwueze.
After a slow start to the second half, Morales sealed the game with a hat-trick in the final minutes of the match. The first goal came with a long-range effort that surprised the goalkeeper, and the second came from a fantastic assist from Capoue on the right side. The third and final goal came from a Lo Celso through ball. A spectacular performance from “El Comandate”.
Line-up
Villarreal: Jorgensen; Dela, Mandi, J. Cuenca, J. Mojica; Chukwueze (Yeremy, m. 65), Morlanes, Coquelin (Capoue, m. 46), Álex B. (Lo Celso, m. 46); Danjuma (Parejo, m. 65) and N. Jackson (A.J. Morales, m. 46).
Austria Wien: Früchti; Ranftl, Muehi, Galvao, Kreiker (Polster, 46′); Fischer, Holland, Braunöder (Vucic, 80′), Jukic (Teigl, 71′); Huskovic (Keles, 74′) and Fitz (Tabakovic, 74′).
Goals: 1-0. Min. 18: Alex B. 2-0. Min. 43: Danjuma. 3-0. Min. 76: A.J. Morales. 4-0. Min. 80: A.J. Morales. 5-0. Min. 88: A.J. Morales.
Referee: Jochem Kamphuis (Dutch Committee). Yellow cards for the visitor Dario Kreiker and the home team’s Capoue.
Incidents: Match between Villarreal CF and Austria Wien, matchday three of the Conference League 22/23, held at the Ciutat de València in front of 9,539 spectators. At the start of the match, a respectful minute’s silence was held in memory of those who died in the tragic accident at the Kanjuruhan stadium on the island of Java (Indonesia).
