Villarreal lose against Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup in the penalty shootout (6-5)
Villarreal fought until the end in the UEFA Super Cup. The Yellows drew the 120 minutes with Chelsea (1-1) before losing in the penalty shootout (6-5). The English went ahead in the first half with a Hakim Ziyech goal. In the second half, Gerard Moreno drew the tie level with a great effort. Full of pride, Unai Emery’s team went head-to-head with one of the best teams on the planet.
Villarreal went into the UEFA Super Cup with a number of important footballers missing, such as Dani Parejo, Samu Chukwueze and Francis Coquelin. Despite the adversity, the Yellows were full of excitement and looked to defeat Chelsea, the UEFA Champions League winners.
Chelsea started the game better. In the opening stages, the Londoners took control of possession and pushed Villarreal back, who defended well. In the 27th minute, Ziyech put the Blues ahead on the scoreboard after a conuter-attack that was perfectly executed by Thomas Tuchel’s side.
Chelsea’s goal woke up Emery’s side, who reacted spectacularly. Only five minutes later, Villarreal could have leveled through Boulaye Dia. The French-Senegalese striker got on the end of an excellent Juan Foyth ball, and his shot was saved well by Édouard Mendy.
At the end of the first half, Villarreal were close to scoring the equaliser with a powerful Alberto Moreno effort which hit the bar. It bounced off the line, and it was pure bad luck that stopped the Yellows from scoring.
At the start of the second half, once more there was a lack of fortune for Villarreal. An erratic goal-kick from Mendy fell to Boulaye Dia, who played it to Gerard. The Catalan striker went one-on-one with the goalkeeper, with his shot being pushed onto the post by the Chelsea No.16.
The second half was an onslaught by the Submarine. Villarreal were causing problems for the Blues endlessly. They kept the English side pushed back and had a number of chances to score.
In the 67th minute, Estupiñán received an excellent pass which saw him go through with just Mendy in front of him. His powerful effort was stopped by the opposition goalkeeper.
The Yellows had endless chances in the second half, and finally were rewarded with a goal. Gerard beat Mendy with an excellent shot into the top corner, after a fantastic Dia assist. The Submarine were level at Windsor Park and it was what they deserved.
The last minutes of regular time were an impressive exchange of blows between the two teams fighting to be champions With the scoreboard at 1-1, the game went to extra time.
In extra time, Chelsea stepped forward, and pushed for their second goal. The Yellows, after a titanic effort, repelled various attacks from the powerful English side. As in the UEFA Europa League final, the match would be decided from the penalty spot.
In the penalty shootout, Chelsea won the UEFA Super Cup. It finished 6-5 to the Blues. Despite that, Villarreal’s effort was brilliant. We’re so proud of you!
Lineups:
Chelsea FC: Mendy (Kepa, m. 118); Zouma (Christensen, m. 65), Chalobah, Rüdiger; Hudson-Odoi (Azpilicueta, m. 81), Kanté (Jorginho, m. 64), Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech (Pulisic, m. 43), Havertz, Werner (Mount, m. 64).
Villarreal CF: S. Asenjo; Foyth, R. Albiol, Pau, A. Pedraza (Estupiñán, m. 57); Yeremy (Mandi, m. 120), M. Trigueros (Moi Gómez, m. 70), Capoue (Mario Gaspar, m. 70), Alberto M (Morlanes, m. 85).; Gerard, Dia (Raba, m. 85).
Goals: 1-0. Min. 27: Ziyech. 1-1. Min. 73: Gerard. Penalty shootout, 6-5. Scored for Chelsea: Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso, Mount, Jorginho, Pulisic, Rüdiger. Scored for Villarreal: Gerard, Estupiñán Moi Gómez, Raba, Foyth.
Referee: Sergei Karasev. Booked: Rüdiger (Chelsea), Yeremy, Raba (Villarreal).
Matchday information: Match between Chelsea FC and Villarreal CF, corresponding to the UEFA Super Cup at Windsor Park in Belfast.
