Villarreal Eliminate Bayern Munich, Advance to UCL Semifinals with 88th-Minute Winner
April 12, 2022
Villarreal completed its stunning upset over Bayern Munich with a 2-1 aggregate win in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
After grabbing a surprising 1-0 advantage in the first leg at home, the La Liga squad closed things out in Tuesday's second leg at Allianz Arena with a late winner by Samuel Chukwueze.
Robert Lewandowski had equalized the tie with a goal in the 52nd minute, his 13th of the Championship League campaign. It seemed another Bayern goal would be inevitable, but it was Villarreal that came through on the counterattack in the closing minutes of regulation.
Bayern was seeking its seventh European championship and second in the last three years, but it couldn't overcome last year's Europa League winners.
Villarreal will now face the winner of Liverpool and Benfica in the first leg of the UCL semifinals on April 26 or 27.
After a first leg that featured just one goal, the second leg was another defensive struggle with neither side able to create many opportunities early.
Lewandowski was quiet in the first half but finally came through with the match's first goal in the 52nd minute:
It created a 1-1 tie on aggregate, setting up a dramatic finish.
Bayern Munich continued to produce more shots, but it was the first shot on net for Villarreal that ended up deciding the match. Chukwueze finished an excellent pass from Gerard Moreno on the counter to put the Spanish club ahead for the eventual win.
It was a change from the first half when each team failed to take advantage of its few chances.
TUDN USA @TUDNUSA¡Ceeeeeeeerca el Bayern! 😱<br><br>Tardaron media hora en realizar un disparo, pero por fin pusieron peligro para Rulli que reacciona bien. 😎<a href="https://twitter.com/FCBayernES?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBayernES</a> (0)0-0(1) <a href="https://twitter.com/VillarrealCF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VillarrealCF</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TuChampions?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TuChampions</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bayern?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bayern</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Villarreal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Villarreal</a><br><br>🔴 ¡EN VIVO!<br>📺 <a href="https://twitter.com/Galavision?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@galavision</a><br>📱: <a href="https://t.co/77Yi3NSj7w">https://t.co/77Yi3NSj7w</a> <a href="https://t.co/H7Qrj9owPj">pic.twitter.com/H7Qrj9owPj</a>
TUDN USA @TUDNUSA¡Era el pase a semis! 😱<br><br>Danjuma se acaba de tragar el gol que le daba un pie al Villarreal en Semis. 🤦<a href="https://twitter.com/FCBayernES?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBayernES</a> (0)0-0(1) <a href="https://twitter.com/VillarrealCF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VillarrealCF</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TuChampions?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TuChampions</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bayern?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bayern</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Villarreal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Villarreal</a><br><br>🔴 ¡EN VIVO!<br>📺 <a href="https://twitter.com/Galavision?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@galavision</a><br>📱: <a href="https://t.co/77Yi3NSj7w">https://t.co/77Yi3NSj7w</a> <a href="https://t.co/vfbO5Z8b8c">pic.twitter.com/vfbO5Z8b8c</a>
There was more pressure on Bayern, which came out with an aggressive 3-2-4-1 formation led by Lewandowski. Bayern had 63 percent possession in the first half while outshooting Villarreal 8-2, although only one shot was on net.
The home team simply wasn't as dangerous as it should have been:
Lewandowski had a yellow card and might have deserved a second one but was fortunate to stay on the pitch. While the striker came through with a goal in the second half, it wasn't enough to keep his team in the competition.
After consecutive wins over some of Europe's top clubs in Juventus and Bayern Munich, Villarreal is now into the UCL semifinals for the first time since 2006.