Villarreal lose against SD Eibar due to being off target up front and a Kike García goal
Villarreal fell by the narrowest of margins to SD Eibar but had clear chances on goal to have been able to come away with a better result. In the end, the only goal of the game by Kike was enough for the locals to take the three points.
Javi Calleja made six changes to the starting eleven in comparison with last Sunday’s match against Getafe CF. The Yellows have three matches in seven days. The game started with a clear goalscoring opportunity for the Submarine that came close to opening the scoring. Enes Ünal dribbled around goalkeeper Dimitrovic, but his left-footed shot went high and wide.
Eibar did make the most of their first chace on goal though. Orellana played a ball over the top to Pedro León, who put a driven cross into the box and Kike García arrived at the back post to fire the ball home and give Eibar the lead (1-0, m. 16).
Villarreal did not look comfortable, but had the quality players to be able to get the draw at any moment. Then another chance fell to the boots of Enes Ünal. The Turkish defender received a through ball from Raba that left him one on one against Dimitrovic, but he took too long to shoot and the ball got caught up in his feet.
The Submarine went all out to make the comeback in the second half. The Yellows looked to score an equaliser but Eibar were solid at the back. Javi Calleja put Carlos Bacca, Manu Trigueros and Pablo Fornals on as substitutes to go in search of the equaliser.
The Yellows almost scored in the 74th minute. Trigueros crossed the ball in and Roger Martínez controlled the ball with his chest and volleyed it towards goal, but it was met with a great save by Dimitrovic.
The Colombian striker became the most dangerous man for the Yellows. In the 82nd minute he had the equalizer at his feet again. He received a great pass from Raba and skipped around Arbilla in the box, but the ball did not end up in the back of the net as Dimitrovic closed him down quickly and blocked his shot. Unlucky.
Villarreal’s next match will be against Girona FC at the Estadio de la Cerámica (Saturday, 1pm CET).
Lineups:
SD Eibar: Dimitrovic; Capa (Rubén Peña, m. 61), Ramis, Arbilla, Juncá; Pedro León (Inui, m. 87), Escalante, Dani García, Orellana; Charles (Joan Jordán, m. 67) and Kike García.
Villarreal CF: Asenjo; Mario, Álvaro, Víctor Ruiz, Rukavina; Raba, Rodrigo, Javi Fuego (Trigueros, m. 62), Cheryshev (Fornals, m. 72); Roger Martínez and Enes Ünal (Bacca, m. 54).
Goal: 1-0. Min. 16: Kike García.
Referee: Melero López. Cautioned: Arbilla, Juncá, Dimitrovic and Orellana for Eibar; Álvaro and Mario for Villarreal.
Match Information: Match corresponding to Matchday 26 in LaLiga played at the Ipurua stadium in front of 4,056 espectadores. A minute of silence was held in memory of Enrique Castro ‘Quini’.
