Villarreal finally find a win

Villarreal can finally breathe. Íñigo Pérez’s side claimed its first win of the season this Thursday after beating Málaga 1-3 at La Rosaleda. The victory comes on matchday six of LaLiga, after a start in which results had proved elusive both domestically and in Europe.

Until this Thursday, Villarreal had failed to win any of its official matches. Their league start brought two draws, against Racing de Santander and Atlético de Madrid, and two defeats to Alavés and Deportivo. Those results were later followed by a setback against Betis and, in between, their Champions League opener ended in defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

The lack of victories had left the Castellón side in an uncomfortable position in the standings. The team needed to start collecting wins to avoid being left behind too early, and the match at La Rosaleda presented a new opportunity to break the negative run.

Málaga took the lead, but Villarreal managed to turn the game around before eventually winning 1-3. Alberto Moleiro equalised before half-time, and Pape Gueye, the standout performer of the night, scored the two goals that ultimately swung the match in the visitors’ favour.

Beyond the result, the three points allow Villarreal to shake off some of the pressure that had been building with each passing round. The Yellow Submarine had shown the ability to create chances and compete well in different spells of its opening matches, but it needed that level of performance to be reflected in the table.