Villarreal Stun Bayern Munich 1-0 in 1st Leg of Champions League Quarterfinal

Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

Villarreal has Bayern Munich on the ropes in the Champions League quarterfinals thanks to a 1-0 victory in the first leg Wednesday night.

Bayern was fortunate to come away with a draw from its first leg against Red Bull Salzburg in the round of 16 as Kingsley Coman scored in the 90th minute. The German giants followed with a 7-1 demolition of Salzburg to reassert the natural order of things.

Even with the opening leg at Estadio de la Ceramica, Villarreal entered as the obvious underdog. The club sits seventh in La Liga and followed its 3-0 victory over Juventus with defeats to Cadiz and Levante.

But Bayern Munich found itself down 1-0 in just the eighth minute. Dani Parejo hit a low shot that appeared to be going wide but fortuitously found the feet of Arnaut Danjuma.

Francis Coquelin appeared to double Villarreal's lead when his mishit cross floated into the back post in the 41st minute. The goal was taken off the board, however, following a video review.

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A 2-0 scoreline wouldn't have flattered the host, which did a great job of controlling the tempo in the first half. Bayern Munich didn't have a single shot on target in the first 45 minutes, and the impact of Robert Lewandowski hardly registered.

As the second half got underway, there remained a sense that the other shoe would drop for Villarreal. Bayern's quality would shine through sooner or later, or the Yellow Submarine would slowly run out of gas as the finish line approached.

Instead, Villarreal's steadfast resistance remained.

For the second time, Manuel Neuer was also spared after making an uncharacteristic error. The Bayern goalkeeper ventured well outside of his box and hit a pass that was intercepted by Gerard Moreno. The Villarreal winger let loose from around the halfway line and saw his effort bounce wide.

On the other end of the pitch, it looked like Villarreal were playing with two or three extra players with how frequently they were blocking Bayern Munich's efforts on goal.

But Bayern's draw with Salzburg served as a reminder of how all of Villarreal's work could be undone in a moment. All of the scoring opportunities the Spanish side wasted could come back to haunt the club.

Coman was almost the hero for the Bavarians again when he was unmarked in the box, but he hit his half-volley straight at Geronimo Rulli in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.

Unlike Salzburg, Villarreal held on and put the pressure squarely on Bayern Munich for the return fixture.

What's Next?

The clubs will head to Allianz Arena on April 12 for the second leg.