Villarreal lost to against Mallorca in a disappointing match at the Ciutat de València
Tough defeat against Mallorca (0-2). Villarreal lost to Mallorca in a disappointing match, in which they lacked clarity in their play and lacked scoring opportunities. A goal from Muriqi and another from Amath punished the Submarine.
Last match at the Ciutat del València. Villarreal bid farewell to what has been their home for the first few months of the competition. After a defeat at San Mamés, Quique Setién’s side were back in front of their fans to take on an always dangerous RCD Mallorca. Before the match, the president of Villarreal, Fernando Roig, publicly thanked Quico Catalán for the hospitality offered by Levante UD, who gave their stadium to the team. With the formalities now concluded, it was time for the ball to start rolling.
Setién’s side took control of the ball in the early stages of the game, and pressed their opponents in their own half through positional play. However, the first dangerous chances of the match came in Mallorca’s favour. In a counter-attacking move, Jaume Costa tested the feline reflexes of Gero Rulli, who cleared the ball and the danger with a superb intervention.
The game continued with Setién’s side in total control of the ball. Despite this, it was the away side who took the lead with a goal from Muriqi on the half hour mark. The forward finished off a cross from out wide and, after bouncing unluckily off Raúl Albiol, it flew into the goal. The game went to the break with 0-1 on the scoreboard. It was time for a second half comeback.
After the break, Setién looked to the bench and brought on Nico Jackson. The Senegalese striker came on in for Manu Trigueros, in search of pace, goals and a burst of pace in the final metres.
The Submarine struggled to get into the game in the second half. In the first few minutes, they couldn’t find the ball and hardly reached their opponents’ goal. After 70 minutes, out of necessity, Villarreal regained some of their composure. In the 74th minute, Samu Chukwueze sent a good shot from the edge of the area onto the crossbar.
Just a minute later, when Setién’s side looked to have their heads up, Amath surprised everyone by sending a powerful right-footed shot from the edge of the box into the back of the net. The Submarine missed a great opportunity to take all three points in front of their fans and move closer to the European places.
Line-ups:
Villarreal CF: Rulli; Kiko F., R. Albiol, Pau, Alberto M. (min. 90, J. Mojica); M. Trigueros (min. 46, N. Jackson), Parejo, Capoue (min. 90, A. J. Morales), Chukwueze; Álex B. (min. 64, Yeremy), Danjuma.
RCD Mallorca: Rajkovic; G. Gonzalez, Valjent, Nastasic, Copete, J. Costa; D. Rodríguez (min. 71, Sánchez), Baba (min. 92, Grenier) R. De Galarreta (min. 87, Battaglia); Muriqi (min. 87, Abdón), Lee Kang In (min. 71, Amath).
Goals: 0-1. Min. 32: Muriqi. 0-2. Min. 75: Amath.
Referee: Muñiz Ruiz. Booked Chukwueze, Alberto M., Pau (Villarreal); Baba, G. Gonzalez, Lee Kang In, D. Rodríguez, Muriqi, J. Costa (RCD Mallorca).
Incidents: Match between Villarreal CF and RCD Mallorca, Matchday 13 of 2022/23 LaLiga season, held at the Ciutat de València. Attendance: 16,603
