The Villarreal head coach laments his sides lack of killer instinct in the first half against Rangers
Villarreal head coach Javi Calleja underlined that his side deserved more in their visit to Ibrox, taking into account the clear chances in the first half: “We searched for a win, but it wasn’t to be. We deserved more. When you miss chances like that, you end up regretting it. We dominated the game from the start to the finish and we were able to control their direct style. We did nearly everything to win, but we didn’t and we leave with a bittersweet feeling. We could have opened the scoring in the first half with various clear chances in front of goal. We weren’t able to make the most of them and that penalised us.”
After the break, the Yellows dominance continued, but there were fewer chances: “In the second half, they shut up shop because they were playing with one player left and it was difficult for us to get past them. If we had scored in the first half, it would have been a very different match,” he added.
Villarreal are still top of Group G in the UEFA Europa League and will hope to qualify for the last 32 on Matchday 6, against Spartak Moscow in the Estadio de la Cerámica. “We’re leaving with a point that keeps us top. We hope to qualify for the next round at home. We were good enough to win. We are relying on ourselves and that’s important. This group is very tight. There’s nothing in it. We have a small advantage in a match that will be like a final. I’m sure the team will respond against Spartak Moscow,” concluded Calleja.
