The Yellow Submarine leave no chance for the side from Madrid in a memorable display of football and goals
Villarreal defeated Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio de la Cerámica (4-0). The Yellows not only showed their impressive attacking prowess against a strong opponent, but also delivered a true footballing masterclass, making the most of the spaces and opportunities. The groguets gave the visitors no chance, with Iñigo Pérez’s side leaving empty-handed despite their courage and characteristic good football.
Before the break, Gerard opened the scoring with a moment of genius, and in the second half the Submarine killed off the contest with a flurry of goals. Moleiro struck first, before Comesaña and Ayoze sealed a thrilling encounter that ended in a whirlwind of goals.
To take on the Madrid outfit, Marcelino opted for a line-up featuring Luiz Júnior in goal; Mouriño, Foyth, Veiga and Pedraza at the back; Pepe, Comesaña, Thomas and Moleiro in midfield; and a magical front pairing of Gerard and Mikautadze.
The Submarine made a high-tempo start against Rayo Vallecano, who, as Marcelino had warned, enjoy playing fast, vertical football. Iñigo Pérez’s side accepted the challenge, showing bravery and looking to counterattack at pace.
But after 20 minutes of play, Villarreal’s quality shone through thanks to Gerard Moreno. The Catalan forward, who was honoured before kick-off for surpassing 300 official matches with the Submarine, was determined to remain in the spotlight once the game began. He opened the scoring with a stunning strike with his right foot – his 122nd goal in yellow – for many fans, the greatest player in Villarreal CF’s history.
With the score at 1-0, nothing changed. Villarreal continued to attack in a frenetic game in which Rayo sought to surprise the groguets with their back-and-forth style, often leaving few men in defence. Nevertheless, Marcelino’s men stuck to the game plan and defended transitions well.
After the break, the Submarine produced their best football to knock out a combative Rayo Vallecano, who left too many gaps and paid a heavy price.
In the 56th minute, Moleiro finished off a counterattack with a superb right-footed strike from the edge of the box. He carried the ball from midfield, gaining ground with pace before unleashing the perfect shot into the net.
Just two minutes later, Villarreal extended their lead with another brilliant goal, this time from Santi Comesaña. Arriving late from midfield, the Galician tucked away another lightning-fast move from the home side. Comesaña made it 3-0 and apologised for scoring against his former team.
In the 65th minute, Ayoze completed the rout. The Submarine were unstoppable, and the forward from Tenerife capitalised on a defensive error to win the ball near the edge of the box and beat Batalla with a fine finish. The No.22, who won the Zarra Trophy last season, scored his first goal of the campaign – great news for the Submarine as the striker finds the net again.
Before the final whistle, Parejo could have rounded off the win with a free-kick from the edge of the area that crashed against the crossbar.
With this 4-0 victory, Villarreal claim another three points in LALIGA EA Sports and consolidate their well-deserved third place in the table. This Villarreal side is truly something special.
