April 12, (THEWILL) – On Tuesday night, Unai Emery orchestrated yet another European giant-killing, with a late goal from substitute Nigerian international, Samuel Chukwueze, giving Villarreal the 1-1 draw they needed to advance to the Champions League semi-finals.
Emery’s side defended for their lives in Bavaria, protecting a 1-0 lead from the first leg, and were rewarded when Chukwueze popped up at the back post to cancel out Robert Lewandowski’s goal and put the Yellow Submarine two games away from the final in Paris.
The game’s structure was established early on, with the visitors defending deep, narrow, and in numbers, as expected, while Bayern attempted to break down this low block to stand a chance of progressing to the semi-finals.
Yet, Die Roten failed to put Villarreal under pressure for the most part, opting instead for an endless barrage of aimless crosses in their search of needed goals.
In the opening exchanges, Gerard Moreno would have the first meaningful chance of the match, cutting inside and curling wide.
As the first half progressed, the Yellow Submarine survived a couple of goalmouth scrambles, but it took Bayern half an hour to push Geronimo Rulli into action, with Jamal Musiala steering a header right into the thankful clutches of the keeper.
In the second half, the hosts came out firing, and Dayot Upamecano squandered their finest chance of the game when he fired a shot way over after Leroy Sane showed great composure to find him in the area.
Bayern, thankfully, drew level on aggregate a few minutes later. Lewandowski was found on the edge of the box by Thomas Muller, and the Villarreal defence gave him all the time he needed to steady himself and roll the ball off the post and into the net.
Villarreal restored their defensive calm and stopped conceding so many shooting opportunities as Bayern continued to pile the pressure. On the counter, the visitors posed a threat at times, with Arnaut Danjuma sending a shot just wide of the post.
Bayern did not heed the warning, and Villarreal stunned the Allianz Arena with a sucker-punch two minutes later. After a wonderful defensive header by grizzly veteran Raul Albiol, Moreno found substitute Chukwueze at the back post, who beat Manuel Neuer with a smart finish.
After that performance, Nagelsmann will have a barrage of questions but, in truth, the focus should be on Emery. He deserves his moment in the spotlight after all of the criticism he received following his time at Arsenal. He has vindicated himself with Villarreal.
They will now prepare for a semi-final, while Bayern’s attention must be on the Bundesliga title, which they are on course to win for the 10th consecutive time.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
