Villarreal and Atletico drew 2-2 in a high-scoring battle at times. The Colchoneros only gained the upper hand when coach Diego Simeone ventured more offensively.
Villarreal suffered a bitter cup defeat at the hands of second division side Gijon during the week, but before that coach Unai Emery’s side had won six consecutive competitive games. Atletico, meanwhile, ended their losing streak at the end of last year shortly after the New Year (2-0 against Rayo) and also celebrated a commanding cup victory against lower-ranked Rayo Majadahonda. Atletico coach Diego Simeone once again gave ex-Herthman Matheus Cunha the nod from the start in Villarreal after the Brazilian came off the bench three times in the league recently.
Missed pass Parejo, Correa’s dream goal from 50 metres
Emery’s eleven seized the initiative from the kick-off and put Atletico under pressure. The yellow submarine appeared early in the opponent’s penalty area, but chances were still a long time coming. Then, however, Parejo played a fatal cross on the halfway line, which Atletico’s Correa intercepted and shot into the home side’s goal from exactly 50 metres – Villarreal keeper Rulli was as surprised as he was without a chance (10th minute).
Villarreal occasionally wavered defensively at this stage and almost made it 2-0 through Matheus Cunha (19th), but Atletico were also lucky when Alberto Moreno hit the post from close range (17th). The game continued with high-calibre scenes, Correa’s second goal was disallowed for offside (21st), then on the other side Lemar was guilty of a handball penalty, which Gerard missed with a very unplaced execution against keeper Oblak (23rd). Although Parejo sank the follow-up shot and seemed to make up for his faux pas before the 0:1, the VAR conceded the goal for handball.
Oblak drops the ball, Pau equalise richly deserved
The decision didn’t faze Villarreal, however, as Emery’s side continued to press forward and deservedly equalised: Parejo’s free-kick crossed to the first post from the left, the ball slipped through, Oblak dropped the ball forward and centre-back Pau squeezed the ball into the Atletico goal from a few metres out to make it 1-1 (29th minute). Shortly afterwards, Trigueros even had the lead on his feet, but after a beautiful move via Parejo and Estupinan, his shot from 14 metres went just over the crossbar.
Genius strike Gerard, Alberto Moreno completes
In the second period, Atletico started more actively and wanted to disrupt the home side’s build-up play earlier. The second period began evenly, but a stroke of genius by Gerard set up Alberto Moreno centrally, so that he was able to finish ice-coldly alone in front of Oblak – 2:1 for the “Submarinos” and that was deserved up to that point.
Simeone dares more offensive – reward through Kondogbia
Simeone reacted quickly after the deficit and brought in Koke and Joao Felix (for the pale Matheus Cunha). In addition, the Argentinean coach now relied on a three-man defensive chain to create superior numbers in midfield. His move quickly paid off as the Colchoneros immediately seized the initiative and equalised through Kondogbia (67th). Villarreal keeper Rulli had initially been able to keep out a shot from close range, but the midfielder’s low shot slipped under his body, probably due to poor vision.
In the closing stages, Atletico came closer to scoring the winner – Lemar’s shot was just blocked for a corner (79th). Simeone’s team continued to run, but could not reward themselves with the winning goal. On balance, it would have been a bit flattering, because the yellow submarine was clearly the better team for about an hour.
