Villarreal fall to Alavés in a match they got better in but could not make the comeback (2-1)
Villarreal picked lost on their visit to the Mendizorrotza stadium against Alavés, in a match that the Yellows got better and better in and almost equalized in the final minutes. Ibai and Rodrigo Ely were the goal scorers for the side from Vitoria, while Bakambu scored for the Submarine in the second half. Despite the negative result, Villarreal remain in fifth place in the LaLiga Santander.
Fran Escribá’s had up to seven players out for the match at the Mendizorrotza stadium, five injured (Asenjo, Cheryshev, Castillejo, Jonathan dos Santos and Rukavina) and two for suspended (Víctor Ruiz and Soldado). Quite a burden.
Andrés Fernandez prevented the side from Vitoria from taking the lead in the 7th minute. The Yellows’ goalkeeper made two good saves in a row from shots by Ibay and Deyverson. The Submarine responded after the first quarter of an hour. Bakambu put in a driven cross to Roberto Soriano whose shot at the near post was saved by Pacheco.
Alavés were going from strength to strength and took the lead after half an hour of play. Ibai Gómez hit a fantastic volley from the edge of the box and the ball flew in, just inside the right post of Andrés’ goal (1-0, m. 34). Villarreal tried to react, but the locals struck harder. The Vitorian side’s second came from a cross by Kiko Femenía that was headed into the back of the net by Rodrigo Ely just before the break (2-0, m. 44).
After the break, Villarreal played much better. The Yellows pushed forward in earnest to close the gap. And they did just that. After winning the ball back on the right wing Cédric Bakambu hit a powerful shot that deflected off an Alavés defender and was unstoppable for Pacheco (2-1, min. 69).
The Submarine became much more dominant towards the end of the match, coming close to equalizing on several occasions. The best chance, without a doubt, fell to Cédric Bakambu in added time. The number 17’s shot across goal went just wide of the post and with it the hopes of the Yellows disappeared.
Villarreal’s next match will be this Saturday 22nd April at the Estadio de la Cerámica against CD Leganés (4:15pm CET).
Lineups:
Deportivo Alavés: Pacheco; Kiko Femenía, Rodrigo Ely, Laguardia, Theo Hernández; Toquero (Katai, m. 76), Llorente, Camarasa (Vigaray, m. 88), Manu García, Ibai (Alexis, m. 74); and Deyverson.
Villarreal CF: Andrés, Mario, Musacchio, Álvaro, Jaume Costa; Adrián (Santos Borré, m. 66), Bruno, Rodrigo (Trigueros, m. 56), Soriano; Sansone (Leo Suárez, m. 86) and Bakambu.
Goals: 1-0. Min. 34: Ibai. 2-0. Min. 44: Rodrigo Ely. 2-1. Min. 69: Bakambu.
Referee: Álvarez Izquierdo (Catalonia, Spain). Cautioned: Toquero for the locals; Bakambu, Musacchio, Soriano and Jaume Costa for the visitors.
Match Information: Match corresponding to Matchday 32 of the LaLiga Santander played at the Mendizorrotza stadium.
