Villarreal pick up a very important win at the Anoeta with a goal by Castillejo in injury time
After a blow in the Europa League midweek, Villarreal got back to winning ways at the Anoeta stadium with a crucial victory against a direct rival, Real Sociedad, thanks to a goal in stoppage time by Samu Castillejo (0-1). The Yellows, who got better and better as the game went on, stayed cool and, when regulation time was up, scored the game’s only goal after a great run by Jaume Costa down the wing and a perfect cross in for Castillejo to finish the job.
With this win, the Yellows remain in the fight for the Europa League positions, putting distance between themselves and the teams below them and moving closer towards the Champions League spots.
The first half was dominated by the locals. The Submarine, somewhat nervous in the opening minutes, got into the game bit by bit, stopping Real Sociedad getting through. There were no clear chances in the first 45 minutes though.
The side from San Sebastian tried to find a way through the Yellows, who despite not having much possession, closed out the home side perfectly. Apart from a powerful header by Raúl Navas in the 1st minute, the blue-and-whites hardly got into Fran Escribá’s sides’ penalty area.
The second half, although starting off on the same foot, was completely different. Escribá made some substitutions, putting Rodri on to gain more control of the middle of the park. The San Sebastian side still had the majority of possession, but the Submarine were getting better by the minute.
In the 51st minute, Bakambu took advantage of a mistake by Real goalkeeper Rulli in the box and was close to opening the scoring. In the 75th minute the Yellows had their best chance. After a scramble in the box, Villarreal had three shots in a row, with Bruno’s header hitting the woodwork, but Rulli eventually cleared the ball.
With just over ten minutes to go until the final whistle, the Manager put Samu Castillejo on. And the Málaga native made a miracle happen. With the game in stoppage time, Jaume Costa made a great run down the wing and put in an inch-perfect cross, which Samu Castillejo got on the end of, arriving with a perfectly timed run and smashing his volley past Rulli. After a difficult week, the Submarine smile again.
Lineups:
Real Sociedad de Fútbol: Rulli; Odriozola (Concha, m. 78), Raúl Navas, Iñigo Martínez, Yuri; illarra, Xabi Prieto (Sergio Canales, m. 71); Zurutuza; Vela, Oyarzábal and Juanmi (Jon Bautista, m. 65).
Villarreal CF: Asenjo; Mario, Musacchio, Álvaro, Jaume Costa; Bruno, Trigueros (Rodrigo, m. 46), Jonathan Dos Santos (Sansone, m. 67), Cheryshev (Samu Castillejo, m. 78); Adrián and Bakambu.
Goals: 0-1. Min. 90+3: Samu Castillejo.
Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández (Las Palmas, Spain). Cautioned: Xabi Prieto (m. 55) and Raúl Navas (m. 89) for Real Sociedad and Cheryshev (m. 28), Mario (m. 49), Rodrigo (m. 69) and Bruno (m. 69) forl Villarreal.
Match Information: Match corresponding to Matchday 23 in the LaLiga Santander, played at the Anoeta stadium between Real Sociedad and Villarreal CF in front of 21,691 spectators.
