Glenn Wickman
VILLAREAL have won the Europa League.
In what seemed like an impossible dream come true, Castellon’s very own Yellow Submarine managed to beat the mighty Manchester United in the final in Poland last night (Wednesday May 26) and lift their first ever major trophy in what will go down as their best season in history.
Without forgetting the previously unthinkable feat of knocking out Arsenal in the semi-finals to make it through to their first final…
But the story does not stop there. Last night’s match in Gdansk was certainly not for the faint of heart, as Unai Emery’s men scored first via Gerard – one of the European campaign’s top heroes – in the 29th minute.
As the stands occupied by visiting Villareal fans exploded with joy, the squad continued attacking in search of a second goal that could sentence the match, before taking a step back and going into a holding pattern to prevent Man U from equalising.
Especially dangerous were McTominay and Cavani, the latter picking up a loose ball in the 55th minute and sending it into the back of the Submarine’s net.
After an agonising minute’s checking with the VAR, Cavani’s equaliser was given the thumbs-up and the game was open once again, until eventually ending 1-1.
With both teams well matched, extra time was insufficient to tip the balance, leading to a penalty shootout that kept everyone on the verge of a heart attack until the very end.
And what an end it was. With both sides scoring every single shot to make it 10-10, the whole championship came down to the respective goalkeepers.
The name of Rulli, Villareal’s Argentinean keeper, will be forever praised by fans of the Yellow Submarine down the ages, as he first scored his penalty against rival counterpart David de Gea and then stopped the return shot from Man U’s Spanish goalkeeper, sentencing the final in favour of the Castellon side.
The end result was a whopping 11-10 for Villareal, the record-breaking fourth Europa League trophy for coach Unai Emery, and the first ever major title for Villareal, plus a pass through to next year’s Champion’s League thanks to a flawless tournament in which the Submarine has not lost a single match.
Needless to say, celebrations in Castellon look set to continue throughout the rest of the week.
Congratulations groguets (yellows) and endavant (onwards)!
READ MORE:
- GIANT KILLERS! But just who are the Yellow Submarine, the team that conquered mighty Manchester Utd?
- WE ALL LIVE IN…: Castellon’s Villareal knock out Arsenal and make it through to their first ever Europa League
