Villarreal fought back against Real Sociedad thanks to a great performance from the Catalan striker
A golden win at the Reale Arena (1-3)! Villarreal got an important win against Real Sociedad. Unai Emery’s side fought back thanks to a great performance from Gerard Moreno, who scored twice with headers, and provided the assist for Samu Chukwueze. With Gerard in your team, life is easier.
Villarreal went for it at the Reale Arena. Emery lined up with a similar starting XI to the one which won against Atalanta BC in the UEFA Champions League. Only Yeremy Pino and Boulaye Dia didn’t start from the side that tasted victory in Bergamo.
The Yellows started the game against Real Sociedad with domination. The Yellows were getting into the opposition half easily, but they weren’t having many clear goalscoring opportunities. The first chance went to the Basque side with 15 minutes on the clock. Gero Rulli saved well from Alexander Isak after a quick move led by the Swedish striker.
The first chance for the Submarine went to Yeremy with a header which was off target after a piece of play down the left. The away side continued to try. In the 25th minute, Emery’s side went close against with a shot over the bar from Dia, who was unable to make the most of a great Gerard pass.
Villarreal had wasted their chances. Real Sociedad didn’t. In the 32nd minute, Isak put the ‘txuri-urdin’ ahead with a fantastic effort from the left. The Swedish striker beat his marker before firing a powerful shot to the far post that Rulli could do nothing about.
Villarreal reacted quickly to the home goal. Gerard headed the ball into the back of the net after a Dani Parejo orner. The Submarine were looking good from set pieces and had levelled the scoreboard.
Before half-time, the Yellows No.7 could have even turned the score around. The Catalan striker got a shot away after a Yeremy cutback. His effort was cleared off the line by Zaldua.
At the start of the second half, Figueroa Vázquez sent off Mikel Oyarzabal, showing him a straight red for a heavy challenge on Yeremy. The foward’s studs went down the winger’s calf. There was no discussion.
With a numerical advantage at the Reale Arena, Villarreal pushed forward looking for a second. Emery brought on Alfonso Pedraza and Chukwueze, as he tried to make his side more vertical and push back Real Sociedad.
It wasn’t an easy task, thanks to the impressive defensive work of Imanol Aguacil’s side. Despite that, the Submarine continued to push forward, and once more from a corner, they found the second goal. Villarreal’s top goalscorer of all time showed once more that he is out of this world with a great header. Emery’s training ground tactics paid off again.
In the 95th minute, with Real Sociedad pushing forward for the equaliser, Gerard found Chukwueze with a good pass, with the Nigerian adding the third. The Yellows got an important three points at the Reale Arena.
Lineups:
Real Sociedad: Ryan; Zaldua, Zubeldia (Sorloth, m. 82), Le Normand, Aihen (Diego Rico, m. 82); Januzaj (Portu, m. 52), Zubimendi, Merino (Aritz, m. 65), Oyarzabal; Silva (Barrenetxea, m. 52), Isak.
Villarreal CF: Rulli; Foyth, R. Albiol, Pau, Estupiñán (A. Pedraza, m. 61); Yeremy (Chukwueze, m. 61), Capoue (Iborra, m. 93), Parejo, Alberto M. (Moi Gómez, m. 82); Gerard, Dia (M. Trigueros, m. 82).
Goals: 1-0. Min. 32: Isak. 1-1. Min. 38: Gerard. 1-2. Min. 69: Gerard. 1-3. Min. 95: Chukwueze.
Referee: Figueroa Vázquez. Booked: Merino, Zaldua (Real Sociedad), Estupiñán, Pau, Parejo (Villarreal). Sent off: Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad, 50’).
Matchday information: Game between Real Sociedad and Villarreal CF, corresponding to Matchday 18 of the 2021/22 LaLiga season at the Reale Arena. Attendance: 29,679.
