A harsh penalty late on gives Getafe a point in Vila-real

Villarreal managed to break through the Bordalás blockade, but it was not enough to secure victory (1-1). Villarreal had the game under control when the referee awarded a harsh and rigorous penalty at the end of the game, which punished Marcelino’s men and made the away side rejoice. With time almost up, Arambarri cancelled out Santi Comesaña’s early goal and snatched two points from the home team.

The Groguets returned home after the international break. Two weeks without domestic football, which, instead of being a respite and an opportunity to recover, saw Marcelino’s side face the game with numerous absentees due to injury and many other players not being fully match fit. The motivation of winning again at the Estadio de la Cerámica was, however, the best antidote to overcome the limitations.

Forced by the situation, Marcelino fielded Pape Gueye as a second striker, alongside Thierno Barry. On the flanks, the talent and the bite of Álex Baena and Ilias Akhomach. The midfield, unchanged, for Parejo and Comesaña. And at the back, accompanying the tireless Sergi Cardona and Kiko Femenía, Raúl Albiol and Eric Bailly. Diego Conde was in goal.

Until halfway through the first half, neither Getafe nor Villarreal had enough clarity to find the opposition goal. The first clear chance of the game came from Pape Gueye. The Senegalese’s header narrowly missed the target from a strategic move down the right flank.

The Submarine relied on quick transitions in an attempt to surprise Getafe and give pace to a tight game with too many interruptions. Villarreal came to the fore again. And they did it again from a set piece. A slate move ended with a shot from Sergi Cardona in the heart of the area. The shot from the Catalan, who arrived at the action a little forced, went over the goal.

It was the best minutes so far for Marcelino’s team. Before the 40th minute, Pape Gueye was on the scene again. This time with a strong left-footed shot from the edge of the area that David Soria saved somewhat awkwardly.

With time almost up in the first half, Villarreal made it 1-0. Dani Parejo opened up on the left for Sergi Cardona. The Catalan controlled the ball and put it into the box. Baena almost got there and missed Barry, who was hit by the ball and it remained dead inside the area. There Santi Comesaña arrived to beat Soria and put the Yellows ahead before the break. The goal came at a very important moment that hurt Getafe a lot.

In the second half, young defender Pau Navarro came on to replace Eric Bailly, who was persistently struggling with a shoulder injury during the final stretch of the first half. The early stages of the second half were a faithful continuation of the first 45 minutes. Few chances and not much football.

Getafe made the Yellows uncomfortable on the ball. They pressed high and looked for their chance especially in second balls. In one of these struggles, Yildirim beat the centre-backs and tested Diego Conde from the edge of the area. He sent the ball to a corner.

On the hour mark, the side from Madrid had the clearest chance of the second half. Álvaro’s header hit the post after a cross from Carles Pérez on the right flank. It was the second warning to a Submarine side who were unable to exploit the spaces.

With 20 minutes to go, Marcelino moved the bench. He brought on Nicolas Pepe, who replaced Ilias Akhomach. In the immediate aftermath of the substitution, Gueye again had the goal in his boots. The Senegalese received a fantastic first-time assist from Baena in the penalty area and shot at the far post, where David Soria made a great save.

With the score so close, the game went into the final period wide open. Getafe did not give up and kept looking for the equaliser. Peter Federico had a shot offside and Yildirim had a clear header saved by Diego Conde with a fantastic save.

And 1-1 came in the 87th minute when Raúl Albiol conceded a harsh penalty to Yildirim. The Yellows’ centre-back left his hand in his face in a move in which the ball was not even aimed at the Turkish striker. A lot of punishment for the Yellows’ work. Arambarri, with a shot into the top corner, converted it.

The Submarine had no time to react and Getafe, for whom the 1-1 scoreline seemed like a precious prize, prevented any real football from being played in stoppage time.