UCL: Villarreal 1-0 Bayern: Danjuma gives Spanish side first-leg advantage
Villarreal marked their first UEFA Champions League quarter-final appearance since 2009 with a narrow first-leg win against Bayern München thanks to Arnaut Danjuma’s early strike.
Villarreal had conceded at home with a minute gone in the previous round but made a sharper start this time when Danjuma diverted Dani Parejo’s shot beyond Manuel Neuer after eight minutes for his sixth goal in this season’s competition.
Pairing resolve with compactness and diligence in possession, the Yellow Submarine denied free-scoring Bayern a shot on target during the first half.
The visitors struggled to apply accuracy to their attempts when they re-emerged, and Gerard Moreno almost made it 2-0 when he rattled the base of a post with a thunderous drive from distance.
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Moreno then threatened to catch out Neuer out with a long-range lob after being presented with possession, spurring Julian Nagelsmann to make two changes to his uncharacteristically misfiring side.
Alphonso Davies’s speculative strike midway through the half – the first to test Gerónimo Rulli – sparked a brief nervy period for the dogged home defence.
Unai Emery’s men inevitably absorbed more pressure against the top scorers in the competition, confidently seeing off a succession of corners and crosses while looking a threat on the break.
The Villarreal coach’s only regret may be his side’s narrow failure to add to their advantage ahead of the second leg in Munich next Tuesday.
