Villarreal lose against Celta and fail to take advantage of a two-goal lead (3-2)
Villarreal fall to Celta in a match that the Yellows went two-nil up in early on, but then let their lead slip in the second half. Three goals from the locals after the break meant the Submarine left Vigo empty-handed, in what was a hugely important match for both teams in their fight to stay in LaLiga. The Yellows’ goals were scored by Pedraza and Toko Ekambi, while Aspas netted a brace in the second half and Maxi Gómez headed home for the sky blues.
Villarreal CF set up for the match with several players out. Depsite that, Javi Calleja stuck with his 3-5-2 formation which has worked well for the Yellows in recent weeks.
Jaume Costa and Miguelón’s injuries, as well as Funes Mori’s suspension meant Calleja had to change things up at the back, opting to give Xavi Quintillà his debut at full-back.
The match got underway and the Yellows were off to a flying start. A Santi Cazorla corner early on was cleared by the Celta defence and the ball fell to Mario, who sent it back into the danger zone towards Toko Ekambi. The French-Cameroonian striker got to the ball first in the six-yard box and powered the ball into the back of the net. The Yellows took the Galician side by surprise and the lead (0-1).
The Submarine’s opener added to their momentum and minutes later, on the quarter-of-an-hour mark, Alfonso Pedraza made it two. Toko Ekambi sent Pedraza on his way and the Yellows wing-back didn’t look back. He weaved his way in and out of Celta defenders and finished by taking the ball around the keeper before smashing it home (0-2).
The second half started poorly for Villarreal as Iago Aspas pulled one back for the home side from a direct free-kick. The goal sent the stands at the Balaídos wild, but the Yellows kept fighting. Just a minute after the sky blues’ goal, Toko Ekambi had a fantastic chance to score a third for the Submarine. He took advantage of a defensive error and went through one-on-one with Rubén, who kept Toko at bay and Celta in the match.
The intensity of the match was escalating. Celta piled the pressure on and the Yellows defended for their lives. In the 60th minute, Sergio Asenjo made a spectacular save to keep out Hugo Mallo’s effort, keeping Villarreal in front.
In the 70th minute, Celta equalised through Maxi Gómez who headed home an Olaza ball into the box. The match took an uphill turn for the Yellows, who were weathering a Celta storm as best they could. In the 78th minute, Asenjo came up strong again as he made a stretching save to keep out Brais Méndez’s curling shot to the far post.
Then, in the 84th minute, it was Celta and Aspas who had the final say, sentencing the match from the penalty spot, which ended up being enough to give them the three points.
Villarreal will play their next league match on Tuesday against FC Barcelona (9:30pm CEST, Estadio de la Cerámica).
Lineups:
RC Celta: Rubén; Hugo Mallo, David Costas, Hoedt, Olaza (Kevin Vázquez, m. 87); Okay, Lobotka, Brais Méndez, Boufal (Sisto, m. 71), Iago Aspas (Cabral, m. 90) and Maxi Gómez.
Villarreal CF: Asenjo; Quintillà (Raba, m. 87), Mario Gaspar, Álvaro González, Víctor Ruiz, Pedraza; Morlanes (Bacca, m. 81), Iborra, Cazorla; Toko Ekambi and Chukwueze (P. Fornals, m. 69).
Goals: 0-1. Min 11: Toko Ekambi. 0-2. Min. 16: Pedraza. 1-2. Min 50: Aspas. 2-2. Min. 70: Maxi Gómez. 3-2. Min. 84: Iago Aspas.
Referee: Gil Manzano. Booked: Mallo for Celta. Pedraza, Mario Gaspar and Víctor Ruiz for Villarreal.
Information: Match between RC Celta de Vigo and Villarreal CF corresponding to Matchday 29 of LaLiga 2018/19, played at the Estadio de Balaídos in front of 22,315 spectators.
