Villarreal bring forward the Champions Party with a historic win against Atlético de Madrid

So strong was the desire to celebrate qualification for the UEFA Champions League that Villarreal decided to bring forward the Champions League Party, scheduled after the match against Atlético de Madrid, and start it during the game against the Rojiblancos.

With a historic thrashing of the Colchoneros, whom they beat 5-1, the Submarine secured a valuable third place in LALIGA EA Sports. Thanks to an outstanding team performance, the squad and their fans were also able to bid farewell with honours to three legends: Dani Parejo, Alfonso Pedraza and Marcelino García Toral. A day to remember.

Before the half-hour mark, Villarreal kicked off the spectacle. The Yellow storm began with a penalty from Musso. The Atlético goalkeeper brought down Pepe inside the area and Sesma awarded the penalty. In his final service to the yellow shirt, Dani Parejo stepped up to take it. With precision and mastery, the legendary midfielder made it 1-0 at La Cerámica to earn a standing ovation.

The goal from the No.‘10’ sparked the crowd, who were in the mood to celebrate. Villarreal’s football encouraged enjoyment. Fully in control, Marcelino’s side quickly made it 2-0. In the 34th minute, Alfonso Pedraza —another star of the day— surged forward, beat Marcos Llorente physically and, after nutmegging him, entered the box. From there, he squared it for Ayoze Pérez, who capitalised on a weak clearance to finish past Musso.

Villarreal had turned the match into an exhibition, and in the 39^th minute came the third. Mikautadze converted a brilliant individual move by Ayoze Pérez. The Tenerife forward ran and battled with Pubill, turned inside the box and laid it off for the Georgian, who skilfully beat his defender and scored again.

The atmosphere was spectacular, matching the football on display. Even an unexpected Atlético goal from a corner did not disrupt Villarreal’s rhythm. Pubill scored in the 42^nd minute. But Marcelino’s side responded again before the break, this time with a rocket from Pape Gueye. The Senegalese midfielder struck an unstoppable shot into the top corner, making it 4-1 at half-time.

As difficult as it might have seemed, Villarreal maintained the same intensity and brilliance in the second half. In the 55^th minute, Ayoze added the fifth. Sharp in both play and finishing, he controlled a pass from Pepe and placed it perfectly inside the post.

Beyond doubt, Villarreal were producing their best performance of the season. A true display of attacking football, with a thrashing included, against one of Europe’s top sides. A spectacle for the fans, who watched their team secure third place in the best possible way.

In the 67^th minute, the match gave way to tributes for two genuine club legends: Dani Parejo and Alfonso Pedraza. Both players helped the club win the Europa League in 2021 and reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2022. Two footballers who can proudly say they surpassed 200 appearances for the club.

With the fans fully engaged and teammates emotional, both players left the pitch to be replaced by Alassane Diatta and Sergi Cardona.

Another major positive was the return of Pau Cabanes, who, after already featuring for Villarreal B, marked his comeback to the first team following recovery from a serious knee injury suffered earlier in the season.