Villarreal reached first place in its group this Thursday after defeating the Rennes by 2-3 in a frenetic match, full of exchanges of blows and controversial actions, in which they always had the initiative on the scoreboard and which could be carried with suspense after annulling the referee, at the request of the VAR, a goal for the French team in the last action of the match, in m.101.
The victory of Marcelino García Toral’s team allows Villarreal to avoid the next round of the competition, against a rival from the Champions League, and directly access the round of 16 of the competition.
The French team, for whom a draw was worth it, did not speculate on the result and jumped onto the field determined to impose your physique and vertigo against a Villarreal uncomfortable with that pace of play.
Marcelino’s team tried to lower the revolutions in the game with long possessions to activate their most creative players, but it was difficult for them to tame an intense and vertical rival in the first minutes.
Rennes at times forced Villareal to defend in a low blocksunk almost in his area, with no more offensive respite than Baena’s drives or long balls to Sorloth.
Rennes’ dominance did not sometimes translate beyond a cross shot from Nagidaalready past the midpoint of the first act.
Little by little Villarreal was finding Akhomach and, above all, to Gerard Morenowhich in its function as a link between media and attack was undetectable for the French.
With the party balanced, an innocent penalty by Belocian for stomp on Baena allowed Villarreal to take advantage on the scoreboard.
Gerard Moreno executed the maximum penalty with class to give his team the lead of the group, although the joy lasted only a few seconds, since Rennes equalized the play in just five touchesincluding the center kick.
A diagonal ball allowed Assignon win the back of Altimira and beat Reina with a shot that slipped between the goalkeeper’s legs.
From a center kick.
Feint, cutback and inside: Assignon’s great goal. #LaCasadelFútbol pic.twitter.com/UskCOuP02c
— Football on Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) December 14, 2023
After the exchange of blows, the match heated up and Mandanda He avoided Villarreal’s second goal after clearing Gerard Moreno’s shot with the crown of his head.
Already in injury time, Villarreal demanded a new penalty on Baena due to an attack by Assignon, but the Turkish referee, greatly overwhelmed by the match, signaled a foul by the attacker after the VAR review.
After the break, Rennes tried to repeat the tie play in the first action of the second half against a Villarreal that showed a more ambitious pose at the start of the second act.
However, the first dangerous action was carried out by Borigeaud with a centered shot that Reina saved. Villarreal’s response was immediate, since Gerard Moreno assisted Baena, who could not beat Mandanda in his goal.
Villarreal, increasingly comfortable with the ball, hit their rival again with a new pass into space from Gerard Moreno that Elias Akhomach, With a shot that bounced off an opponent, he scored a goal half an hour from the end.
You mess it up.
Akhomach’s GREAT GOAL. #LaCasadelFútbol pic.twitter.com/pvnFfgbF0k
— Football on Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) December 14, 2023
The goal decentered Rennes and unleashed Villarreal, who had the third in a strategic action that Gerard Moreno and Cage They failed to finish within an inch of the goal line.
The French team tried to react with a triple change, also renewing its tactical structure.
Marcelino responded by introducing Coquelin to strengthen the midfield now Morales as a new threat, but Rennes, in an isolated action, managed to tie through Blaswho took advantage of the defensive passivity to score with a shot close to the post.
The tie, 11 minutes from time, It forced Villarreal to row against the current again, but the response of the Castellón team could not have been more forceful.
Barely a minute later, Marcelino’s team created a play with the first touch inside the French area that Equalwith a low shot, converted into a goal.
Rennes turned in the final minutes in search of a tie, which they were very close to, in eternal injury time, after a free-kick that hit the post and, later, with a goal disallowed to Assignon in the 101st minute, at the request of the VAR, for offside in the last action of the match.
2023-12-14 19:53:09
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