Villarreal lost the hope of reaching 11 points in the old Westfalenstadion, an arithmetic bar that last season separated those classified from those eliminated after the first phase of the last Champions League. The Castellón team suffered a rout, had another day of misfortunes and still has not added more than one point in its fifth participation in the tournament.
The game ended with a bang after a first half of skirmishes. Marcelino has been training his players for months in the art of suffering rival dominance without allowing themselves to be finished off. Dortmund spent the first 45 minutes with the ball under control but without being able to generate any approaches or shots. Foyth, Veiga, Gueye and Partey blocked the finishing area and their goalkeeper remained inactive. Buchanan and Partey had two chances to go ahead after Pépé and Comesaña took advantage of the corridor behind Svensson, the local winger.
The most dangerous arrivals had been Villarreal’s signature and Luis Júnior had made only one save after Adeyemi overtook Veiga in an adventure of dribbles and changes of pace, the only critical moment in the entire first half. The game had run out of regulation time before the break when, after a corner kick, Anton gained position over Partey at the far post, touched the ball with his hand, Anselmino extended towards the pile, and there the giant Guirassy took the toll with the 1-0 score. The blow sank Villarreal in the locker room with the psychological weight that their eventful career in this Champions League carries.
Marcelino’s harangue launched his players on the attack. With very little to lose, Villarreal invaded the opponent’s field. The team was unbalanced when Julian Brandt grabbed a ball as if he had glue on his boots. The Bremen poet’s gallop, lilting and heavy, caused a stampede in the visiting defense. Calm in the midst of the chase, Brandt didn’t mind being caught up. He attracted his markers and freed Adeyemi, his accomplice, who finished with ease. At the line, Foyth stopped with his hand and the referee sent him off and awarded the penalty that Guirassy scored. The 2-0 was followed by Adeyeni’s 3-0 and Svensson’s 4-0, symptoms of the collapse of a disconsolate team.
For more updates, visit our homepage: NewsTimesWire
