Villarreal B beat Ibiza with goal from Collado and now have 23 points in LaLiga SmartBank
Villarreal B once again made the Mini Estadi a fortress – where they have yet to lose – and managed to beat UD Ibiza (1-0) thanks to a goal from Diego Collado. In the match, the Yellows dominated possession and had the best chances.
With this victory, Miguel Álvarez’s side are nine points clear of the relegation zone and now have 23 points from 16 LaLiga SmartBank games.
The start of the game was dominated by Miguel Álvarez’s men who, despite controlling possession, could not find a way to hurt a combative UD Ibiza.
It was in the ninth minute that Villarreal B’s first chance came w a shot by Fer Niño from Dani Tasende’s cross. The opposing goalkeeper, Fuzato, made a great save to prevent Villarreal from taking the lead. Two minutes later, the visitors responded with a shot from Castel that went wide.
The Yellows were very comfortable on the pitch thanks to a clean start to the game and a very forward defensive line, and Collado’s cross-shot looked dangerous. A couple of moves later, the away goalkeeper was forced to intervene again after a great team move that ended with a tight shot from Alberto Del Moral.
UD Ibiza recovered and managed to take the ball away from Miguel Álvarez’s men for a few minutes. In the 23rd minute, the visitors’ clearest chance came after a long-range shot from Isma Ruiz, which went close. After this chance, Villarreal B hit back with a spectacular volley from Tasende who, taking advantage of a cross from Migue Leal, put Fuzato in trouble.
A few minutes before the end of the first half, Filip Jorgensen put in one of the best performances of the game to clear a Herrera free-kick. Villarreal B went into the changing rooms with a bittersweet taste, as Álex Forés was forced off with a muscle injury.
The second half started at a slightly slower pace than had been seen so far, but it was five minutes in when the game began to turn on its head. After a great team move, Javi Ontiveros played a great pass to Tasende and the left-back, after a spectacular run, shot at goal for Fuzato to parry and, on the rebound, Collado pushed the ball into the net to make it 1-0.
In the 61st minute, UD Ibiza tried to react with a great direct shot after a free kick by Javi Vázquez. A few minutes later, the away side again threatened, with the goalkeeper having to intervene after Castel’s dangerous shot.
In the 74th minute, the Mini Estadi gave a standing ovation to Sergio Lozano, who returned to the field of play after two months out injured. It was in these minutes that UD Ibiza looked for an equaliser, but the Submarine’s reserve team were able to resist with their cool head and good positioning at the back.
With six minutes to go, things went from bad to worse when Adrián De La Fuente was sent off for a double yellow card. In order to keep things tight at the back, Miguel Álvarez brought on Pablo Íñiguez, another long-awaited return for the Yellows fans, who had been absent through injury for the last three months.
With the game almost over, Villarreal B launched a dizzying counter-attack that unsettled the away defence to the point that they ended up committing a penalty on Lozano. It was Lozano himself who took the spot-kick, but once again Fuzato showed his reflexes to save at full stretch.
Lineups:
Villarreal B: Jorgensen; Migue Leal, Abraham, Mbacke, Tasende; Ontiveros (min. 74 Pacheco), Carlo, Alberto Del Moral, Diego Collado (min. 74. S. Lozano); Fer Niño, Forés (min. 44, Hassan, min. 86, P. Íñiguez).
UD Ibiza: Fuzato; Coke (min. 84, Miki Villar), Goldar, Juan Ibiza, Javi Vázquez; Appin (min. 84, Darío), Pape Diop (min. 84, Bogusz), Isma Ruiz, Herrera (min. 68, Suleiman); Sergio Castel, Ekain (min. 71, Morante).
Referee: Sánchez López. Booked: Herrera, Goldar, Appin, Coke, Morante (UD Ibiza). Sent off: Dela (Villarreal B).
Goals: 1-0. Min. 55: Diego Collado.
Matchday information: Game between Villarreal B and UD Ibiza, corresponding to Matchday 16 of LaLiga SmartBank at the Mini Estadi. Attendance: 1,175.
