Villarreal win in the first round of the Copa del Rey, after beating Leioa thanks to go Yeremy, Fer Niño, Jaume Costa, Sofian Chakla, Álex Millán and Pedraza
Villarreal convincingly beat Segunda B side Leioa in the first round of the Copa del Rey (0-6). The Yellows’ goals came from Yeremy Pino, Fer Niño, Jaume Costa, Sofian Chakla, Álex Millán and Alfonso Pedraza. A great start to the knockout tournament for the Submarine.
Before the ball started rolling, perhaps the standout moment of the match took place. Villarreal players took to the pitch, each wearing a shirt with the No.10 on it, supporting Vicente Iborra, who was badly injured in the last league game against Real Betis. The Valencian midfielder will undergo surgery this Thursday on a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Unai Emery lined his side up on the muddy Sarriena pitch with a mixture of youth and experience, especially the former. Men such as Mario Gaspar, Jaume Costa, Alfonso Pedraza and Ramiro Funes Mori were there to help guide the young talents, who shone.
The first goal came early on. With six minutes on the clock, Dani Raba won the ball back. Fer Niño tried to dummy the opposition goalkeeper and the ball fell to Yeremy’s feet, with the youngster not showing any mercy (0-1, m.6).
The pitch was not in great conditions due to heavy rainfall, but that didn’t stop both teams trying to play nice football. Raba tried his luck with a dangerous left-footed effort, which made Iturrioz make a great save (m.15).
The second goal for the Yellows came from the penalty spot. Fer Niño was tripped in the area by the Basque side’s goalkeeper. The striker stepped up himself to score from the spot (0-2, m.19).
Moments into the second half, Yeremy could have increased the lead. He used his quick feet to beat the defender, but his shot went off target.
It was 0-3 thanks to Costa in the 59th minute. Álex Baena cut inside on the right, played a low ball across, and the versatile No.21 appeared in the box to score the third.
The fourth goal came from Sofian Chakla. The Moroccan centre-back headed into the back of the net after a Baena free-kick (0-4, m.65).
Debuts for Álex Millán and Carlo
In the closing minutes, Carlo Adriano García and Álex Millán made their first-team debuts. The striker from Zaragoza scored as soon as he came on, sending the ball into the back of the net with his first touch after another Baena assist (0-5, m.80).
The final goal came just before the final whistle. Pedraza’s powerful left-footed effort entered like a rocket to beat the Leioa goalkeeper (0-6).
The draw for the second round, this Friday
Villarreal will find out their next opponent in the Copa del Rey, with the second-round draw on Friday (1pm CET).
Lineups:
SD Leioa: Iturrioz; Berasaluze, Goti, Garai (Arturo Segado, m. 62), Yurrebaso (Juaristi, m. 62), Albisua, Agirrezabala, Jaime Dios (Raly Cabral, m. 46), Morante, Pradera (Adrián Vich, m. 74), Roger Marcé.
Villarreal CF: Rulli; Mario Gaspar, Sofian Chakla, Funes Mori, Pedraza; Álex Baena, Foyth (Carlo, m. 78), Jaume Costa (Trigueros, m. 68); Raba (Álex Millán, m. 77), Fer Niño (Kubo, m. 68), Yeremy (Parejo, m. 68).
Goals: 0-1. Min. 6: Yeremy. 0-2. Min. 19: Fer Niño (penalty). 0-3. Min. 59: Jaume Costa. 0-4. Min. 65: Sofian Chakla. 0-5. Min. 80: Álex Millán. 0-6. Min. 90+2: Pedraza.
Referee: Estrada Fernández. Booked: Pradera (Leioa), Álex Baena (Villarreal).
Matchday information: Match corresponding to the first round of the Copa del Rey at Sarriena. The Villarreal players took to the pitch with shirts of support for team-mate Vicente Iborra, who had recently been injured badly.
