I didn't watch the match, I have to admit as I was busy watching Arsenal v Liverpool instead. I was shocked to see Villarreal pull dust all over the face of Juventus despite their wealth of experience and amazing talents. Villarreal beat Juventus by 3-0 and an aggregate of 1-4 away from home and that's the shock that we have been used to with UEFA Champions League. What a moment it must be for Villarreal who won their first major trophy in their history against Manchester United in the Europa League final with their Europa League expert coach, Emery.
Morata got the early chance to score but his header was saved even though it was directed towards the goal, the goalkeeper was smart enough to produce a quick response to stop the header at the near post. Morata also got in the way after a loose ball was left inside the box. Cuardado was well-positioned to score the goal but Morata obstructed him and that chance went unattended as the threat was nullified. Even a team like Juventus knows that they cannot afford opportunities to keep going and they paid for it dearly as they eventually got dumped out of the competition.
Vlahović is another player denied by the impressive goalkeeper of Villarreal after his lovely shot was pushed away to safety by the goalkeeper. Juventus dominated the early exchanges but Villarreal gave them the sucker punch later on. Rulli; Villarreal's goalkeeper must be recognized for his efforts in goal. He also stopped a long-range shot from Rabiot all in an effort to keep his side in the game.
Juventus missed too many changes and at this stage of the competition, I don't think it can be allowed because anyone can punish anyone. Most teams at this stage of the competition got there by rights and not by fluke and that was what happened to Juventus after Coquelin was brought down inside the box. It took VAR review and the referee consulted with the side monitor to give the penalty to Villareal. Moreno was the man to give hope to Villareal from the spot and he scored it. He managed to squeeze the strike in despite Szczęsny's attempt to save it.
Juventus knew the game was beyond them now after Pau Torres scored after the corner kick effort came to him and he simply put his leg in to direct the ball into the back of the net. How the mighty has fallen to see Juventus 2-0 behind. Villarreal had the icing on it with another defensive collapse from Juventus after Danilo was caught out in possession and later on, De Ligt handled the ball in the penalty area. Arnaut Danjuma stepped up to take it and Szczęsny had no chance to save this at all as he was beaten.
This scoreline certainly raised an eyebrow and that's why I decided to write about it. I would never have imagined Juventus losing 3-0 at home to Villareal and Villareal has shown others that they should keep an eye on them because of the way they held Juventus and kept them at bay before hitting them where it hurts would certainly be appreciated by the neutrals. Missed chances cost Juventus but the valiant effort from Villareal cannot go unappreciated.
Cheers.
Gingered Up! ❣️
