On 13 May, one of the matches of the 34th round of the Spanish football championship took place. Villarreal (Spain) and Athletic (Bilbao) met.
Spain Championship, round 34
Villarreal (Spain ) - Athletic (Bilbao) - 5:1 (2-1)
Goals: Baena (24), N. Jackson (37), N. Jackson (50), A. Paredes (61), Baena (90 +1) - Sunset (45 + 3)
Warnings: Etienne Capoue (1), Pau Torres (45+3), Parejo (45), A. Paredes (54), Herrera (54), Pedraza (58), Williams (68)
Villarreal faced Athletic Cluj in a thrilling La Liga match at the Estadio de la Ceramica. Despite a lacklustre start to the match, the first yellow card of the game was received after just a minute when Villarreal player Etienne Capoue was sent off the pitch. However, the home side were the first to break the deadlock, with Aleix Baena scoring in the 24th minute. Just over ten minutes later, Villarreal doubled their lead thanks to a goal from Nathaniel Jackson. The game was tense at half-time as Villarreal's Dani Parejo received a yellow card. But Athletic had a chance to score with a penalty in the 45th minute, which was converted by Oyhan Sunset.
Despite the visiting team's attempts to get back into the game, Villarreal continued to dominate in the second half. Just five minutes later, Jackson added his second goal of the game. Several yellow cards were issued quickly, with Ander Herrera and Athletic's Aitor Paredes receiving warnings in the 54th minute. Villarreal made their first substitution in the 57th minute, Capoue coming on in place of Raul Terrat. But it was Athletic who suffered a disappointing goal in the 61st minute when Paredes struck an own goal. Despite substitutions for both teams, Villarreal continued to dominate and Baena's final goal in the 90th minute made the final score 5-1. Overall, it was an outstanding performance from Villarreal, especially Jackson, who scored an impressive two goals. This win will make Villarreal the team to keep an eye on for the remainder of the La Liga season.
In the next round, the opponents will be Girona versus Villarreal and Athletic versus Celta.
| Villarreal | Athletic | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Shots on goal | 5 |
| 17 | Shots | 10 |
| 2 | Blocked shots | 1 |
| 10 | Kicks from the penalty area | 9 |
| 7 | Kicks from behind the penalty box | 1 |
| 11 | Offences | 13 |
| 7 | Corner | 5 |
| 3 | Offsides | 3 |
| 57% | Possession of the ball | 43% |
| 4 | Yellow cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 3 | Safeties by goalkeeper | 7 |
| 468 | Total assists | 338 |
| 385 | Accurate passes | 259 |
| 82% | Accuracy of transmissions | 77% |