Villarreal remained unbeaten in the first game of the La Liga third round on Monday night and will sleep on top of the standings following a tough but outstanding 4-3 victory against Celta Vigo.
Alfon made a strong start for the visitors, going in behind and rounding Diego Conde, but the line saved his attempt. Borja Iglesias scored his first goal for Celta during his first start.
Villarreal Response and First-Half Drama
For the next ten minutes, the Yellow Submarine showed no mercy as Alex Baena saw his effort brilliantly saved by Ivan Villar. But from a corner, he was powerless to stop Sergei Cardona’s tap-in at the back post and Gerard Moreno’s flick-on. Oscar Mingueza scored a free kick five minutes later, hitting the post with a shot that was only thirty yards in length.
Equalizer and Villarreal Fightback
Villarreal may have felt unfairly treated heading into halftime, and as they looked for an equalizer, Marcelino Garcia Toral threw new striker Thierno Barry up front shortly before the half-hour. It took him exactly one minute to equalize after Cardona’s cross. Nicolas Pepe’s ball across the goal’s face was diverted into his own net a few moments later.
Late Drama and Winning Goal
With ten minutes remaining, however, hostilities were renewed after a brief respite. In a matchup between Cardona and Mingueza for the inventive full-back award, Mingueza curled a ball in for Carl Starfelt to make up for losing to Barry on his goal. After that, the referee disallowed Santi Comesana’s goal for a slight offside, but Celta was unfortunate to lose.
Villarreal Seals Victory in the Final Moments
Hugo Alvarez’s foul in the 96th minute, which resulted in a box against Barry, was the catalyst for his efforts. In the 100th minute, Dani Parejo took the penalty kick and saw Villar stop it, but he was able to capitalize on the rebound to win the game.
It was an exciting game with plenty to make both managers happy, although Claudio Giraldez will be wailing about missing out on some hair. However, as a team, both appeared to be moving in the right direction, so neither will be happy with their defensive efforts.
Defensive Struggles and Missed Opportunities
Villarreal was going all out for the win; therefore, they were careless, and Celta kept breaking through the defense. After Anastasios Douvikas fired off a shot inside the post, William Swedberg made two behind-the-back escapes with one-on-ones to secure their fourth. Nevertheless, Diego Conde stopped Celta on both occasions, first with an outstretched elbow to his right and then with a powerful left foot.
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