Europa League winner
Villarreal won the Europa League for the first time in club history on Wednesday. The Spanish club was surprisingly too strong for Manchester United in the final after a scorching penalty series, after both teams did not get further than 1-1 after 120 minutes.
Gerard Moreno opened the score after half an hour in Gdansk, Poland, where 9,500 spectators were welcome. Shortly after the break, Edison Cavani brought the score back in balance with a ticker, but after that no more goals were scored, which meant that the penalty shootout had to be a winner. Villarreal crowned himself in that series after no fewer than 21 penalties used: 11-10.
Villarreal was in the final of the Europa League for the first time on Wednesday and thus immediately wins the second most important European club tournament. The number seven of La Liga, who has never won the national title, did not go beyond the semi-finals until this season (in 2004, 2011 and 2016). In 2003 and 2004, the now-abolished Intertoto Cup was won.
With the defeat against Villarreal, Manchester United ends the season without a prize for the fourth consecutive year. The last title of the English record champion was the Europa League in 2017. Then the team of then trainer José Mourinho settled with Ajax in the final, which was eliminated in the quarter-finals by AS Roma this season.
The loss of Manchester United is bad news for PSV. The Eindhoven team would skip a preliminary round in the Champions League with a victory of the English club, because ‘The Red Devils’ had already qualified for the million ball via the Premier League. AS Monaco would then take over the direct CL ticket from United.
At Manchester United, Donny van de Beek stayed on the bench for the entire match. The attacking midfielder, who was taken over from Ajax for 39 million euros last year, is mainly reserve this season under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Despite this, he belongs to the final European Championship selection of national coach Frank de Boer.
Europa League winner
Villarreal surprisingly ahead
Without the injured captain Harry Maguire, Manchester United started the final against Villarreal, which also had no intention of making the game at Miejski Stadium. Both teams hardly came to completed chances in the first half.
Nevertheless, Villarreal opened the score after half an hour of play. Moreno escaped the attention of the Manchester United defense on an indirect free kick by Dani Parejo and the Spain international slid in behind goalkeeper David de Gea.
Manchester United was unable to shoot at goal before half time. The most dangerous moment was when Villarreal defender Raúl Albiol almost tapped a Mason Greenwood cross into his own goal just before the break, but goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli was on his post.
Europa League winner
After the break, United released the brakes
After the interruption, Manchester United threw off their hesitation and that resulted in Cavani’s equalizer in the 55th minute. The Uruguayan was in the right place after a carom in the penalty area of Villarreal. The VAR still looked at the goal because of offside, but awarded the goal.
In the future, the Spaniards were outflanked by manager Solskjaer’s team and rarely came from their own half. Marcus Rashford was given the opportunity in the 70th minute to slide in the 1-2, but shot face to face with Rulli just wide.
A minute later, Cavani saw his header be headed away on a failed cross by Shaw, but despite an English siege in the final phase, Villarreal remained upright with art and flying work. As a result, an extension was required for a decision.
Villarreal most dangerous in overtime
Remarkably enough, Villarreal was the most dangerous team in the afterplay, without actually creating big chances. Alberto Moreno still had a free shooting opportunity, but his bet went wide of goalkeeper De Gea, who just before the half-time signal tapped a free kick from Parejo with one fist over his goal.
After the break, fatigue seemed to play tricks on Manchester United and strikingly fresh Villarreal handed out several pinpricks, but again without becoming really dangerous. United mainly stretched time and successfully brought the final to a penalty shootout.
In that decisive penalty series, Villarreal and Manchester United scored their first five tries, after which the teams had to cash in on their penalties in order not to go down. Only after 21 penalties was used, a decision was made. Manchester United goalkeeper De Gea saw his bet turned by his competitor Rulli, after which a big Spanish folk festival erupted in Gdansk.
Europa League winner
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