Despite dominating the match, Villarreal had to settle for a point against Elche

Villarreal were unable to find the breakthrough (0-0). Despite creating numerous chances and controlling the game, the Yellows were denied by an inspired Dituro in the Elche goal. The visitors earned the maximum reward possible from a match that was dominated from start to finish by Iñigo Pérez’s men.

The Yellow Submarine returned to La Cerámica just four days after Tuesday’s magical Champions League night, when they defeated European heavyweights SSC Napoli (3-1).

Following that demanding effort, Iñigo Pérez opted to rotate his starting XI for the challenging regional derby against Elche CF. Only Moleiro and Comesaña retained their places in the line-up.

Villarreal squandered chances in a blistering start

Villarreal stormed into the match. Fully focused and looking to impose a fast, intense tempo, the hosts almost took the lead before a minute had been played. Moleiro controlled a superb pass from Comesaña and broke through one-on-one with Dituro, but the goalkeeper produced an outstanding save to keep the scores level.

Elche were completely overwhelmed as Villarreal attacked with confidence and energy. The opening ten minutes were one-way traffic, with the visitors unable to respond to the pressure being applied by Pérez’s side. In the eighth minute, Dituro was called into action again, this time denying Tani Oluwaseyi from close range.

Before the quarter-hour mark, Villarreal thought they had taken the lead. A swift move involving Moleiro, Ayoze and Tani carved open the Elche defence. After Dituro saved Tani’s effort, Moleiro converted the rebound, but the goal was disallowed for a marginal offside.

The Yellows’ pressure was relentless. Elche struggled to keep possession as Villarreal repeatedly recovered the ball high up the pitch and forced mistakes. The goal remained elusive, however. Alberto Moleiro came agonisingly close in first-half stoppage time after rounding Dituro, only for an Elche defender to clear the ball off the line.

The match reached half-time level at 0-0 despite an excellent opening 45 minutes from Villarreal, whose only missing ingredient was a goal.

Time worked against the Yellows

After the break, Villarreal continued to dictate proceedings, but the clock increasingly favoured an Elche side that would have gladly accepted a point based on what had unfolded on the pitch. Their first meaningful opportunity came shortly after the hour mark when Lemar tested the reliable Péter Gulácsi with a long-range effort.

In the 60th minute, referee García Verdura initially awarded Elche a penalty following a challenge involving Moleiro and Revivo. VAR advised the official to review the incident and, after consulting the monitor, he correctly overturned his original decision.

Following the controversy, Iñigo Pérez turned to his bench, introducing Saliba and Gueye to strengthen midfield, while Mikautadze came on in search of the winning goal. Gerard later joined the action, before hometown academy graduate Nízar El Jmili entered the field to make his first appearance for the first team at La Cerámica after debuting at the Bernabéu.

In the 77th minute, Saliba tried his luck from the edge of the area and forced another save from Dituro, who pushed the effort behind for a corner. Five minutes later, Mikautadze narrowly failed to connect with a dangerous cross from the left.

Time eventually ran out for Villarreal. The goal never arrived. Despite the quality of their performance. Despite the chances they created. And despite being by far the better side than Elche.