Luck fails an ineffective submarine as Real Sociedad claim a 0-1 victory
Villarreal had to say goodbye to the Copa del Rey in a match where the yellows , despite dominating lacked the usual flair. Real Sociedad were pragmatic enough, but the home side failed to create their chances.
Luck was not on the side of Marcellino’s men, after a missed penalty, the game slowly drifted away. The match was almost a mirror image of the previous leg at Anoeta. There were many changes to the initial starting eleven as both sides began the game tense. Villarreal slowly began to move the ball along the wings and dominate. But Real were the stronger defensive side, repelling every attempt.
The first real chance came 15 minutes in. Perbet went for the heroic acute angle but the ball landed millimetres wide of hitting the crossbar . After a quick counter, Juan Carlos found himself in difficulties. Chory Castro crossed the ball from the left, Xabi Prieto latched onto it with a devastating shot which Juan Carlos managed to palm away. The ball looked to be dead but Ros from a possible offside position, managed to get to the rebound an make it 0-1.
8 minutes into the second half, Hernán Pérez tried his luck with a powerful shot from outside the box that flew high and wide. Throughout the match the Yellows lacked energy, Marcelino decided to bring on Aquino and Mario, two star players of Monday’s 5-1 victory. In the 65th minute, Villarreal were awarded just their second corner of the match. There was a tangle in the area which allowed Musacchio to fumble the ball into the back of the net. The linesman then raised his flag and quashed the move because of a possible offside Gabriel.
Real were aware that the home side needed 2 goals to win and slowly wasted time in the usual way making it a poor showing for the fans. With just a quarter of an hour to go, the edge of the penalty area saw Bruno find an unmarked Uche. The African was impeded and the referee pointed to the penalty. Perbet faced the spot, although his shot was strong, the ball went wide. Five minutes from the end, a cross from the corner nearly chipped the Sociedad keeper but it drifted harmlessly over the crossbar. It was the not the Yellows day as they were forced to walk away from The Copa del Rey yet again.
Match facts:
Villarreal CF: Juan Carlos; Pantic (Mario, 59’), Musacchio, Gabriel, Jokic; Hernán Pérez (Aquino, 59’), Bruno, Pina, Moi Gómez (Uche, 64’); Jonathan Pereira and Perbet.
Real Sociedad de Fútbol: Zubikarai; Carlos Martínez, Ansotegi, Íñigo Martínez, José Ángel; Elustondo, Ros (Zurutuza, 60’), Gaztañaga; Xabi Prieto, Chory Castro (Griezmann, 78’) and Seferovic (Carlos Vela, 67’).
Goals: 0-1, min. 31: Ros.
Referee: Eduardo Prieto Iglesias. Yellow card to Jokic (23’) for Villarreal.
