Arsenal return with the least losses from the Villarreal stronghold
Villarreal took advantage of the ground factor to claim a difficult victory over Arsenal 2-1 on Thursday evening, in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final.
Villarreal scored both Mano Trejeros (5) and Raul Albiol (29), while Nicholas Pepe scored Arsenal's only goal in the 73rd minute from a penalty kick, to postpone the decision to the second leg next Thursday in London.
The current Villarreal coach and former Arsenal, Unai Emery, resorted to the 4-3-3 method, where the back line was from Juan Foyth, Albiol, Pao Torres and Alfonso Pederarza, and Etienne Capoy played the focal point, around him the duo Danny Parejo and Trejeros, striker Gerard Moreno stood between The wings of Paco Alcacer and Samuel Choquezi.
On the other hand, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta relied on a 4-2-3-1 method, as Rob Houlding stood alongside Pablo Marie in the depth of the back line with the support of full-backs Callum Chambers and Granit Chaka, and Thomas Barty and Ceballos were stationed in the middle of the stadium, while moving Triple Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe, behind Ivory Coast striker Nicholas Barty.
Villarreal did not give his guest only 5 minutes, until he managed to open the scoring, when Choquezzi made a special effort in the right wing before reaching a cross to Trejeros, who followed her elegantly into the net.
Arsenal was late to enter the match, and Pepe made his way on the left wing, but his low cross was cut by the defense in the 15th minute.
Arsenal launched a quick counterattack in the 23rd minute, but Ceballos passed the ball in a hasty way so that goalkeeper Rolly could cut it, before Pepe reached it.
The ball reached Odegaard on the edge of Villarreal's penalty area, but he chose to pass to Saca instead of shooting, so the latter's attempt went away from the goal in the 25th minute.
After a shot by Barty that did not pose a threat to Villarreal's goal, the Spanish team was able to consolidate their lead in the 29th minute, When Parejo hit the corner, Moreno nodded it to reach veteran Albiol, who slotted it into the net from close range.
Moreno tried his luck with a shot that went away from Arsenal's goal in the 33rd minute, and the referee awarded a penalty kick to Arsenal in the 34th minute, before retracting it after using video technology.
Voith made a remarkable start from the middle of the field, to pass to Moreno, who dodged German goalkeeper Bernd Leno, but the angle narrowed in front of him, to waste the opportunity to put the ball in the net in the 43rd minute.
Arsenal's performance improved with the start of the second half, and Torres cut the ball in front of his goal to reach Pepe, who He fired a shot that looked tight, but Albiol put his body in front of it in the 48th minute.
Arsenal's hopes were shocked in the 57th minute, when Ceballos got the red card, after he stepped on Parejo's foot after a joint game.
And Lino made an important intervention to banish the risk of a distinct attempt from Chukuisi in the 61st minute, before Gabriel Martinelli entered, instead of Odegaard, in the Arsenal squad.
Goalkeeper Rowley failed to deal with a corner kick, so that the ball stumbled into the area, which was not used by Houlding, who fired a weak ball away from the goal in the 64th minute.
Villarreal almost scored the third goal in the 66th minute, when the French substitute and former Arsenal player Francis Cukulin passed a special ball to Moreno, who confronted Lino alone.
Albiol cut Chambers' special cross before reaching Pepe in the 71st minute.
The London team managed to reduce the score in the 73rd minute, with a penalty kick by Pepe successfully, after Saka was blocked in the area by Trigros.
Villarreal's Capue received his second yellow card in the match, leaving him fired 10 minutes before the end, and Arsenal failed to take advantage of that despite the involvement of his captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, who missed the opportunity to tie in stoppage time after Rolley was confronted alone.