On 14 December, one of the matches of the Europa League in football took place. Rennes (France) and Villarreal (Spain) met.
Europa League
Rennes (France) - Villarreal (Spain) - 2:3 (1:1)
Goals: Assignon (37), L. Blas (79), Assignon (90+12) - Gerard Moreno (36), I. Ahomac (63), Parejo (80)
Warnings: Christopher Wu (9), Albiol (19), Bourigaud (23), J. Belochan (34), Gerard Moreno (36), Mandanda (45+1), Parejo (90+1).
In a tense UEFA Europa League match, Rennes and Villarreal met at the legendary Roazhon Park stadium. Both teams were keen to win, and the game promised to be exciting from the start. The score was tied 1-1 at half-time, but Villarreal went on to win with a final score of 3-2. The match started with a flurry of yellow cards as players from both sides showed their tenacity to fight for the ball. The first to receive a caution was Rennes player K. Wuh in the 9th minute, followed by R. Albiol in the 19th minute. B. Burijo and J. Belochan also got into the referee's notebook in the 23rd and 34th minutes respectively. However, it was Villarreal who snatched victory in the 36th minute from the penalty spot. G. Moreno stepped up to the kicking position and easily converted it, giving his team a valuable 1-0 lead. Moments later Moreno was sent off the pitch, which further inflamed the atmosphere of the match. "Rennes reacted quickly and within a minute L. Assignon equalised, delighting the home fans. The first half ended with Rennes' S. Mandanda joining his teammates in the referee's book. The second half started with substitutions from both sides.
Villarreal replaced J. Foyt with R. Terrat in the 48th minute, while Rennes replaced B. Burijo with L. Blas in the 54th minute. However, Villarreal regained the lead in the 63rd minute thanks to a goal by I. Ahomac. "Rennes tried to get back on track and made a triple substitution in the 69th minute, replacing B. Yildirim, A. Guiri and A. Truffer. However, in the 80th minute Villarreal increased their lead with a goal by D. Parejo. Not confused, Rennes fought back and scored one goal in the 79th minute thanks to a goal by L. Blas. With the game hanging in the balance, both teams made additional substitutions to give the game fresh energy. As the match reached its climax, Rennes thought they had equalised in the final minutes when L. Assignon found the goal. Despite the disappointment, both teams showed brilliant attacking football, winning over the fans. Villarreal came out victorious, but Rennes showed their resilience by pressing their opponents until the final whistle. Overall, the match between Rennes and Villarreal turned out to be an exciting match filled with drama, goals and fantastic football. Both teams can be proud of their play and fans of the beautiful game had an unforgettable UEFA Europa League evening.
| Rennes | Villarreal | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Kicks to the goal | 5 |
| 11 | Kicks | 13 |
| 3 | Blocked shots | 5 |
| 6 | Penalty kicks | 10 |
| 5 | Penalty kicks | 3 |
| 11 | Offences | 15 |
| 4 | Corner | 3 |
| 2 | Offsides | 4 |
| 54% | Ball possession | 46% |
| 4 | Yellow cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 2 | Keeper saves | 3 |
| 450 | Total assists | 395 |
| 372 | Accurate assists | 309 |
| 83% | Accuracy of passes | 78% |