Villarreal and Atalanta drew two goals on the first day of group F of the Champions League at La Cerámica, where the Spanish team was outscored by their rival for much of the duel, although they managed to get ahead on the scoreboard. In the second half.
Despite the poor start of Unai Emery’s team on both sides, the locals, very irregular in their game, had a chance to win the game, but the good interventions of the Argentine goalkeeper Juan Musso prevented it.
From very early on, Atalanta took control of the game and was very offensive with a football that cornered Unai Emery’s team in their field with Zappacosta, Froiler and Zapata very active.
The result of the intensity of the Italian team’s game was the goal after five minutes of play. Zapata controlled the ball inside the area, left it to Freuler, who adjusted it to a post without Rulli being able to avoid the goal.
In addition, a minute later the Argentine goalkeeper avoided the second with a great intervention after a shot from Gosens.
Villarreal was overwhelmed by the intense offensive game of the Bergamo team. He was incapable of braiding any play in a few minutes in which he was powerless against a superior Atalanta.
The locals improved after minute 20 of the game, although they could not prevent Atalanta from being the most dangerous and with better chances against the rival goal.
Villarreal’s first serious option to equalize the score came after 35 minutes of play after a play by Pedraza and Trigueros, who assisted Gerard Moreno inside the area, but his shot was met with the intervention of Musso to avoid the goal.
Three minutes later, with the definitive awakening of the Spanish team, Manu Trigueros picked up a loose ball in the area to place it next to a post to achieve an equalizer that could be ephemeral two minutes later after a header from Gerard Moreno who found a great Musso stop.
Atalanta started the second half in the same way it did in the first: creating danger. A powerful shot from Malinovsky had to be answered with a great save from Rulli to prevent the visitors from overtaking again.
In the first bars of the second half, Gian Piero Gasperini’s team once again showed off its purely offensive DNA. Villarreal suffered again without being able to find the exit from their field before the continuous attacks of the rival.
Malinovski was a real nightmare for the locals as Zapata smashed a ball off the crossbar nine minutes after the clash resumed in a new poor start for Villarreal.
Emery sought to give oxygen to the team with a triple change in which Capoue, Trigueros and Dia gave way to Coqulin, Moi Gómez and Danjuma in a phase in which the game had notably lowered the high pace it had had until then.
This decrease in the rhythm of the game balanced the shock and just when the duel was in an anodyne phase, Villarreal took advantage of the situation to go ahead on the scoreboard with a goal in minute 73 from Danjuma, who had only been on the field for a few minutes, after a ball steal from Parejo and a good pass to the Dutch attacker.
The goal reactivated Villarreal after being dominated by Atalanta who did not take advantage of their chances to get ahead again on the scoreboard, but when Villarreal was better, the Bergamo team returned the tables on the scoreboard seven minutes from time.
The situation was even more complicated for Villarreal when Coquelin was sent off in 84 for a double yellow card after having entered 60.
It was a difficult final stretch for the ‘yellow submarine’, defending in inferiority against an opponent who wanted the three points, although Villarreal could take the game in the last shot of the game by Gerard Moreno that Musso rejected.
– Data sheet:
2 – Villarreal: Rulli, Foyth, Albiol, Pau Torres, Pedraza (Mario Gaspar, m.87), Capoue (Coquelin, m.60), Parejo, Trigueros (Moi Gómez, m.60), Gerard Moreno, Yeremi Pino (Alberto Moreno, m.72) and Dia (Danjuma, m.60).
2 – Atalanta: Musso, Toloi, Palomino, Djimsiti (Demiral, m.60), Zappacosta, Freuler, De Roon (Koopmeiners, m.70), Gosens, Pessina (Miranchuk, m.79), Malinovskyi (Pasalic, m.70) and Zapata (Ilicic, m.70).
Goals: 0-1, m.6: Freuler. 1-1, m.38: Manu Trigueros. 2-1, m.73: Danjuma. 2-2, m.83: Gosens.
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA). He showed a yellow card to Capoue, Gerard Moreno and Yéremi Pino, from Villarreal; and De Roon, from Atalanta. He expelled Coquelin (m.84) for a double yellow card.
Incidents: match of the first day of Group F of the Champions League played at the Estadio de la Cerámica before 12,918 spectators due to capacity restrictions. EFE (HN)