“Barry, how I love you, Barry!” The young Villarreal CF striker transformed from hero to villain and back to hero in a matter of minutes. Such is the nature of youth at 21, but also the mark of immense talent. The Frenchman was the protagonist in a match that seemed to escape the Submarine, however, they managed to seal a 3-1 victory, which propels them to third position in LaLiga, being the only team that maintains the pace with the leaders Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The Frenchman provided the assist for the first goal scored by Nicolas Pepe, was responsible for an own goal to make it 1-1 when he was offside, but redeemed himself with a powerful header that put Villarreal ahead 2-1 after validation of the VAR. Álex Baena extended the lead in injury time, sealing a 3-1 victory and keeping hopes alive.
Matches of this nature are traditionally considered potential traps for coaches. On a Monday night, with fewer fans in attendance than usual (although the turnout was decent), the opponent was the last one in the table still looking for its first victory.
In fact, Marcelino had warned beforehand that there could be no hint of relaxation and that it would require a great ability to motivate his players. He was right. The Submarine struggled to get into their style throughout the first half.
Among the announced rotations, the inclusion of Denis Suárez from the start was surprising, marking his first appearance as a starter in more than a year. The inclusions of Bailly, Parejo, Pape Gueye and Nicolas Pepe were expected.
With these five changes compared to their match against Espanyol, Villarreal started the match as if they had left their game in the locker room for the first ten minutes. The Portuguese Fabio Silva woke up the groguets by missing a clear opportunity without a goalkeeper in the small area after a brilliant play on the left by Moleiro.
But that wasn’t the end of the problems; Marcelino’s team did not manage to find its rhythm until almost half an hour, and they could have conceded two more goals through attempts by McBurnie and Fabio Silva, both saved by Diego Conde.
It was then when Ilias and Pepe began to bother the rival defense, creating opportunities. Cardona wasted an opportunity against an exposed Horkas, who saved another from Ilias. However, there was nothing he could do to stop the brilliant execution of Pepe, who scored the first goal in the final moments of the first half after some excellent play by Barry.
The second half began in the same frustrating manner as the first, with Las Palmas equalizing through Fabio Silva, who deftly slid past Bailly to score.
From a defensive error to another disaster. Five minutes later, Pepe was brought down in the area, prompting Parejo to take the penalty. He wanted to execute him himself, but Álex Baena intervened… and Horkas saved him.
It was a relegation for Villarreal, which continued with 38 minutes left to play. From there until the final whistle, the match became a chaotic exchange of blows that Marcelino detests. Januzaj hit the crossbar, while Ilias, Bena and Barry missed clear opportunities. Adding to the chaos, Barry himself prevented a Bailly goal in the 75th minute for being offside. Yes, Barry showed that he still has learning to do.
However, the young Frenchman (21 years old) redeemed himself with an impressive header that the VAR finally considered valid. It was the goal that put Villarreal ahead 2-1, sealing a victory confirmed by Baena’s final goal, making it 3-1. This was a victory that Villarreal could not afford to let slip away, one that almost became a trap that propelled the Submarino to third position.
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