In the second leg of the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals, Villarreal almost wrote a myth, taking a 2-0 lead over rivals Liverpool in the first half, and bringing the total score to 2-2. Although they failed to pull off the comeback, the team's spirit of hard work won praise, especially the performance of two former Premier League stars, Gokgilian and Iten Kapoor, who made Liverpool suffer and showed that they are not " Premier League losers".
Gokilian, a former central midfielder who played for Arsenal from 2008 to 2018, was loaned out three times for workouts despite being a substitute during his time at the Arsenal. He left the Premier League four years ago to join Valencia before moving to Villarreal in the summer of 2020. The 30-year-old defensive midfielder had a solid game, not only defending but also contributing a crucial goal, his 39th career game in the UEFA Europa League, scoring for the first time to help put Villarreal ahead for a while.
Also from France, midfielder Yiten Kapoor, who has played for Tottenham Hotspur and Crewe, was the engine of the attack in this match, contributing two assists. Unfortunately, he was sent off late in the game for accumulating two yellow cards, although the game was already clear by then, he still made a great contribution to the team.
Apart from Gokilian and Itenkapur, Villarreal's Zuankov, Russo and substitute Oriya, all former Spurs players, did their part in the game as well.
After the game, Villarreal manager Emery, who coached Arsenal, said that his team was too aggressive in the first half, which led to a lack of stamina in the second half: "We had a very good first half, in line with the expected best case scenario, but by halftime the players' stamina was already slipping, and Sherratt Moranu was even injured, making it difficult for us to fight against Liverpool in the second half. "
Villarreal captain Abiol agreed that Liverpool's players were more physical and the team was unable to keep up the pace in the second half, which ultimately led to the loss.
It's worth noting that Villarreal FC also showed their poise after the game by posting a message on social media congratulating Liverpool on reaching the final.
