AS Roma put an end to the Yellows’ UEFA Europa League

Villarreal progressed from the Group Stage of the UEFA Europa League by finishing in second place in Group L. And it was by no means easy to qualify for the next round. In fact, the Yellows qualified for the next round of the competition in their last Group game against Steaua București at the El Madrigal stadium (2-1).

Fran Escribá’s squad started the competition with a narrow victory over FC Zürich (2-1), but the tournament took an uphill turn for the Yellows on Matchday 2 with a draw in Romania against Steaua București (1-1), then another draw in Turkey against Osmanlispor (2-2), followed by an unexpected defeat to the Turkish side at home (1-2) and then another draw, this time in Switzerland against FC Zürich (1-1).

Despite that, the Submarine resurfaced and managed to qualify for the next round with a victory against Steaua București (2-1) in front of the Yellow home crowd. Manu Trigueros’ spectacular lob was the decisive and unforgettable game winner for Villarreal.

Finishing second in the group evidently made the Round of 32 draw more difficult for the Yellows. In the end, the Submarine’s rival turned out to be AS Roma, a strong side fighting for the Serie A title. The first leg, played at the Estadio de la Cerámica, was decisive (0-4). Villarreal travelled to Rome in search of heroism, but they could not make the comeback. The Yellows did manage to pick up a prestigious victory at the Olímpico de Roma stadium, thanks to a goal by Colombian Santos Borré (0-1), but it was not enough.

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