Villarreal beat Mallorca thanks to four quick goals and enjoy ‘Blue Monday’
Villarreal gave themselves a Blue Monday treat with a 4-0 win over RCD Mallorca at the Estadio de la Cerámica. The Submarine’s players needed just ten minutes to turn the game upside down and leave the team from Mallorca, a direct rival in the fight for Europe, with no options. An exceptional way to start 2025 at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
It was the first home match of the year for Marcelino’s side. The Submarine went into the game on the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena on Monday.
The Yellows wanted to give their fans some joy on ‘Blue Monday’, the third Monday in January, which is, according to science, the saddest day of the year. They started the match strongly, dominating the first minutes of the match, playing in the opposition’s half and making several dangerous approaches. However, it wasn’t until the 20th minute that Villarreal broke the seal.
In less than ten minutes, the Submarine scored… four goals! The first was scored by Logan Costa, who headed in an Álex Baena corner kick. The second was scored by the midfielder himself, who started a quick transition by opening up for Cardona, who played the ball back into the heart of the box for Baena to make it 2-0.
Without even time to take a breath, Villarreal made it three. This time it was Dani Parejo who finished off the transition down the left. Álex Baena put it into the box, where Barry played it back for the No.10 to find the back of the net.
Before the 30th minute, with Mallorca completely out of the game, Yeremy put the game to bed after converting Sergi Cardona’s magnificent assist from the left without hesitation. The winger was smiling, aware of what the Submarine had just done in just ten minutes. A real masterclass in transitions, attacks and goals that had left the game settled before the first half hour of the game.
With 4-0 on the scoreboard, the Submarine played at a slower tempo, extended their periods of possession and continued to subdue Mallorca, who were looking to close the gap with more pride than judgement after the barrage of goals in La Cerámica during the first half.
In the second half, the ‘olés’ could be heard in the stands. The Submarine did not let up on the ball. They linked up with fluency and a lot of flair. Marcelino’s men wanted the fifth goal of the night.
In the 68th minute, Marcelino brought on Kambwala and Nicolas Pepe – Cabanes had come on earlier. The Ivorian returned to the field of play after more than two months out injured, replacing a standing ovation for Gerard Moreno, who channelled Villarreal’s footballing lesson at La Cerámica. Because when Gerard is well, Villarreal smile and enjoy.
With 15 minutes to go, Marcelino rested men who accumulate a lot of minutes like Thierno Barry and Dani Parejo to bring on Denis Suárez and Ayoze Pérez, who, like Pepe, was coming off injury. Ramon Terrats also came on. Another notable comeback for the Yellows, who now have a number of players back fit for this exciting second half of the season.
