Villarreal beat Real Madrid 2-1 at home in what was a famous win for the Yellow Submarines on Saturday night.
The locals were positive from kick-off, taking their possession-based game to the defending LaLiga champions. Carlo Ancelotti’s side came under heavy pressure in the opening minutes and could have lost a goal if Francis Coquelin hadn’t hit the post with a left-footed shot after four minutes.
After absorbing the pressure, Madrid got into the game taking more control of the ball, with the locals looking for the hit on the counter. Vinicus Junior could have given the visiting team the advantage, but it was goalkeeper Pepe Reina, 40, who prevented the Brazilian from maintaining the level of the teams. Thibaut Courtois also made a series of good saves as both sides entered the interval with the scores level at 0-0.
Villarreal took the lead two minutes after the restart when Yeremy Pino’s shot was deflected into the Madrid net by Ferland Mendy. Samuel Chukwueze could have made it 2-0 four minutes later, but the Nigerian dodged his effort after a lightning burst from Villarreal.
Karim Benzema restored parity at the hour of play after VAR replays showed World Cup-winning Argentine Juan Foyth had touched the ball in preparation. Three minutes later, the home team fired from the penalty spot after David Alaba slipped and sent the ball into the box. Gerard Moreno stepped up to convert from the spot and reestablished his team’s lead on the night.
Quique Setién’s men were by far the better team over the course of the 90 minutes at the Estadio de la Cerámica and could have won by a larger margin had they not missed several opportunities to hit the back of the net. Chukwueze’s 89th-minute shot was saved, while Arnaut Danjuma squandered two glorious chances in stoppage time, the last on empty goal after a Courtois corner.
With the win, Setién’s side end their nine-game winless victory against Real as they rise to battle in the La Liga table. Ancelotti’s team hope their cross-town rivals Atletico can beat Barcelona on Sunday, otherwise the Catalans could hold a three-point lead over Real Madrid with a win of their own.
