Cadiz 1-0 Villarreal
Villarreal came sailing into this match off the back of a historic victory over Juventus, but were violently sunk by the other Yellow Submarine in this defeat to Cadiz.
At times, it seems almost too cliched to search for the European hangover excuse or explanation – in this case it was too. Cadiz outplayed Villarreal over the 90 minutes and exposed some of the inconsistencies that have kept Villarreal away from the top four this season.
The first half set the tone as Cadiz attacked with purpose, forcing some the six saves that Sergio Asenjo would make this match. Pacha Espino, Ivan Alejo and Alvaro Negredo streamed forward, roared on by the Nuevo Mirandilla.
They did need a helping hand from their goalkeeper though – on one of the few occasions Boulaye Dia escaped from the Cadiz defence, he couldn’t find a way past Conan Ledesma.
To the credit of manager Sergio Gonzalez, who has improved Cadiz greatly, they kept coming forward for the entire match. Asenjo was kept busy and Villarreal failed to take control despite a triple substitution at half-time from Unai Emery.
With the game arriving at its climax, it would have been unreasonable to reproach Cadiz fans for worrying about a cruel twist at the end. Yet it was their endeavour which was rewarded. The ball broke on the edge of the box to the lively Oussama Idrissi, who spread the ball wide to Lucas Perez. He shot the ball across the box to the far post, where Ruben Sobrino toed it into the net as the clock chimed 90.
He barely had time to get up before he was buried in Cadiz bodies again. The euphoria was tangible in the stadium, as Cadiz moved themselves out of the relegation zone for the first time since November, moving a point above Mallorca.
Villarreal failed to take Cadiz by the horns. As a result, they find themselves a little further from the Champions League spots and could end the night nine points away from their primary target.
