It was a tribute to football. One of those games that create fans and that coaches don’t like very much. A constant “oh!”. A marvel. Villarreal took it due to a youthful error by Hugo Álvarez after 90 minutes, but it could have also gone to Celta because Giráldez’s team had it all.. A match to put the ‘submarine’ to sleep in the lead. A match to believe that corseted football has a rival… and it is the one we like.
The The first half was a coming and going of chances… and goals. From the beginning it was clear that both teams were going after the opponent’s goal without hesitation. Right from the start, Alfon put to Diego Conde put to the test and the Villarreal goalkeeper made a great save.
It was the appetizer of 45 very attractive minutes. The next clear one, in the 12th minute, would bring the first goal for Celta, which El Panda scored after a rebound from Cardona on the line that had prevented Alfon’s goal.
Villarreal did not sink and looked for Iván Villar’s goal, coming close to scoring on two occasions, with Gerard and Baena as protagonists. To the Third attempt brought the 1-1. Cardona scored in the 26th minute after breaking free from Bamba’s marker after a corner and finishing alone at the far post.
The duel was becoming an exchange of blows and Celta would strike again just five minutes later. Mingueza invented a free kick close to the post that surprised Diego Conde.
But it is that There were three more goals before the break. One was stopped by Ilaix Moriba on the goal line to make it 2-2 from a corner, another by Albiol to prevent Alfon from making it 1-3 and the third was not celebrated by Yeremi Pino in added time because his header hit the post.
If the first part was lively, The second one was crazy. Marcelino made changes to the bench and the changes took effect immediately. On the first ball he touched, in the 60th minute, Thierno Barry headed the ball into the net to make it 2-2. Just four minutes later, the submarine turned the match around with another of the new additions as protagonists. Pépé made a great play down the wing and his cross was turned into an own goal by Jailson when Ayoze was licking his chops to push the 3-2 into the net.
It was Villarreal’s time, which had Celta on the canvas and could have decided the game if Pépé had been more generous in a one-on-one with Iván Villar and instead of shooting he would have assisted Barry to score the fourth.
Y Celta, who never give up, rose on Starfelt’s head to make it 3-3 with a impeccable header in the 80th minute. Things would not stay that way because no one was satisfied.Both had clear, very clear chances… but it was Hugo Álvarez’s mistake when he grabbed the ball inside the area that gave Parejo the 4-3 from the penalty spot in the 100th minute.
The Villarreal midfielder scored the goal and there was no time for more. Final whistle and celebration in Villarreal after a great game, a tribute to the goal, which puts them at the top of LaLiga.
