RED CARD! Bayer's night has gone from bad to worse! Adrian floats through the middle of the pitch and tries to chip the ball past Jedvaj, but the right-back stops him from doing so with a blatant handball. Already with a yellow card to his name, the referee leaves the defender with no choice but to show him a second, piling further misery on the struggling German side.
90' +4
T. Jedvaj gets a second yellow card and is sent off.
What a stunning save by Leno! After spending the vast majority of the last 20 minutes firmly on the back foot, Villarreal take Bayer completely by surprise with an excellent attack down the right wing. Leiva charges down the flank before curling a wonderful cross into the middle of the penalty area, where it finds Baptistao, but the Brazilian's bullet header is tipped over the top of the crossbar by an acrobatic diving stop from the German goalkeeper.
90' +2
Frey twists and turns on the edge of the Villarreal penalty area before teeing up Kruse, who, with his back to goal, quickly tees up Calhanoglu. The captain then tries to pick out the young midfielder who started such a promising attacking move, but the teenager ends up straying slightly offside and the is flagged offside just as he sends his low shot wide of the near post.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be five minutes of added time.
89'
Calhanoglu picks up the ball in the centre of the pitch midway inside the Villarreal half and immediately tries to tee up Kruse with a 30-yard pass over to the left wing. It almost meets the Australian near to the byline, but Bailly is there to easily out-muscle the striker before shepherding the ball out of play for a goal-kick. The Bayer substitute doesn't look particularly happy with the centre-back's strong defending, but he can have few complaints with the Ivorian youngster.
87'
Once again, Hernandez and Kruse, the latter of whom has put in a good shift since coming on to the pitch, link up well just outside of the Villarreal penalty area. The Mexican rises high and beats Ruiz to the ball before nodding it down into the path of his strike partner, but the Australian ends up straying into an offside position and the linesman's flag is raised before he can unleash a shot from inside the box.
86'
A. Mehmedi enters the game and replaces K. Bellarabi.
85'
Bellarabi, who has had a difficult night, makes way for Mehmedi in a late change for Bayer.
84'
Leverkusen try to find joy down the right flank, but, as has been the case almost all evening long, Rukavina is there to cut out the danger with a vital and well-timed interception, and not for the first time today. The Serbian has performed extremely well and has made life very difficult for Bellarabi.
83'
Adrián López enters the game and replaces C. Bakambu.
The home fans serenade Bakambu with applause as he's replaced by Adrian in Villarreal's final alteration of the night.
Minute
Description
81'
Villarreal have done well to recognise the pressure that Bayer are trying to put on them, and they are doing well to make sure that they don't sit too deep and allow the visitors to push too far forward. As a result it's now the hosts that are on the front foot as they disrupt their opponents' passing rhythm in the middle of the pitch, which is denying them the opportunity to break out of their own half.
80'
Nahuel Leiva enters the game and replaces Samu Castillejo.
Villarreal have made their second substitution of the evening, with Leiva coming on to take the place of Castillejo, who has impressed tonight.
78'
Chance for Frey! Bayer seem to have come alive over the past five or so minutes, and they are now pushing forward with an intensity that they needed to have much earlier in the game. They work the ball from one flank to the other before the 19-year-old midfielder unleashes a thumping shot from 25 yards out, but it's slightly overhit and flies a yard or two over the crossbar after beating Areola.
76'
Léo Baptistão enters the game and replaces Soldado.
T. Jedvaj gets yellow.
Soldado receives a rousing round of applause from the Villarreal fans as he's replaced by Baptistao for the final quarter of an hour.
75'
After dealing with a half-hearted Bayer attacking move, Villarreal try to push forward on a quick counter-attack through the middle of the pitch. Castillejo sprints towards the halfway line and initially skips past Jedvaj with ease, but the Croatian defender ends up cynically sticking out a foot and sends the winger crashing to the ground, resulting in a yellow card for the full-back.
74'
Almost a costly mistake by Ruiz! A tame cross from the right wing looks to be one that should be easily dealt with by the Villarreal centre-back, but he ends up sending an attempted header back to Areola past the French goalkeeper and towards goal. Luckily for him it bounces the right side of the near post and doesn't result in what would have been an incredibly embarrassing own-goal, and the resulting set-piece fails to result in a chance on goal as Papadopoulos sends his header well wide of its intended target.
73'
Lovely link-up play by Bayer! For one of the first times this evening, the German side work the ball around with pace and urgency deep inside the Villarreal half of the pitch. Kruse muscles his way forward and plays a quick one-two with Hernandez on the edge of the hosts' penalty area before unleashing a thumping shot from just inside the box, but, slightly off balance, the Australian ends up sending his effort flying comfortably over the top of the crossbar.
72'
Trigueros clashes with Kruse and catches the Australian in the lower part of the back with a raised boot, and the referee immediately shows him a yellow card.
71'
Manu Trigueros gets yellow.
Ball after ball is being flung into the Villarreal penalty area, but none of them have been able to find a black and red shirt in front of goal. Taking Kiessling off the pitch seems to be a strange decision, as the striker, who is well known for his aerial prowess, was offering an aerial threat earlier in the half, and it's now one that they're now lacking when they could really do with it.
69'
Brandt does well to work his way down the left flank before finding himself in a pocket of space just outside of the penalty area. He then sends a well-placed low cross into the middle of the box, but, not for the first time this evening, there's nobody there to meet it and it's easily dealt with by the Villarreal defence, who are sitting deep and comfortably managing to hold on to their two-goal lead.
68'
Kruse comes on to replace Kiessling, who has had a difficult night and looks incredibly frustrated as he trudges off the pitch.
67'
R. Kruse enters the game and replaces S. Kießling.
Ouch, again! Now it's Denis who is on the receiving end of something nasty as Wendell dives in to the winger and catches him on the top of his foot, sending the youngster flying to the ground. The referee only decides to award Villarreal a free-kick, and the Brazilian will certainly be counting his blessings as that challenge was not only late but looked malicious as well.
65'
M. Frey enters the game and replaces C. Kramer.
Kramer receives a standing ovation from all of the fans as he's stretchered off the pitch to be replaced by Frey.
64'
Kramer is still on the floor receiving medical attention and it looks as if he'll play no further part in the game as they stretcher is brought out to him. It's good to see that he's now concious and is talking to the Bayer medical staff, but Frey is preparing to come on to replace him for the remainder of the evening.
62'
Ouch! Kramer receives a thumping clearance straight to the face and immediately goes down in a heap on the floor. All of the players around the midfielder immediately turn him on his side and call for the medical staff to come on to the pitch, and he really looks to be struggling after receiving such a nasty knock that has left him extremely dazed and confused.
60'
Almost another chance for Villarreal! Denis flies down the right flank on an excellent run before cutting a dangerous pass into the middle of the Bayer penalty area. It misses absolutely everyone before rolling out to Castillejo on the left-hand side of the box, but, under pressure from Jedvaj, he ends up hesitating slightly and misses the opportunity to shoot before the ball flies past him as well.
58'
Bayer push forward from the restart and initially work the ball around well down the right wing before Brandt cuts inside and tries to test Areola with a low shot, but there are far too many yellow shirts camped in front of him and, as a result, his tame strike doesn't have the power behind it to reach the Villarreal goalkeeper.
56'
C. Bakambu has scored a goal for Villarreal! Assist by Denis Suárez.
Assist Denis Suárez Fernández
GOAL! Villarreal have doubled their lead after more poor play by Bayer! The visitors push far too many bodies up the pitch for a corner, and after it fails to result in a chance on goal, Brandt loses the ball in an extremely dangerous position, allowing the hosts to break away on a blisteringly quick counter-attack. Bakambu flies through the middle of the pitch and beats two players before heading into the penalty area, where he sends a low shot through the legs of Leno and into the back of the net to make it 2-0 to the Spanish side.
54'
After dealing with a half-hearted Villarreal attack, Bayer quickly break away down the left flank through Wendell. The Brazilian charges forward on a marauding run before sending a low pass towards Hernandez on the edge of the hosts' penalty area, but Bruno is there to poke the ball away from the Mexican striker and back to Areola.
52'
Bakambu is knocked off the ball by Kiessling, resulting in a free-kick that Villarreal take quickly. Denis and Gaspar link up well down the right flank before the latter tries to curl a cross into the penalty area, but Wendell is just about able to deflect out for a corner that is sent straight into the hands of Leno.
50'
Chance for Villarreal! The hosts push forward on their first attacking move of the second half and work the ball around quickly just outside of the Bayer penalty area. A lovely flick from Soldado tees up Trigueros, who then immediately pokes the ball into the path of Bakambu on the right-hand side of the box, but the Congolese striker's low shot is poor and flies comfortably wide of its intended target. He really should have gone across goal instead of trying to beat Leno at his near post, which he had covered.
48'
J. Hernández gets yellow.
Denis charges in to Kiessling and brings the striker crashing to the ground as he tries to head towards the Villarreal penalty area, and Bayer are awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position as a result. It's curled into the middle of the box, where Areola bravely comes out and fists the ball away from danger before being clattered into by a high boot from Hernandez, who receives a yellow card as a result.
46'
And we're underway once again!
45' +1
With less than 60 seconds left on the clock, Villarreal patiently work the ball around inside the Bayer half of the pitch as they look to keep hold of a lead that looks slender on paper but anything but in truth. It's been a very comfortably first half for them, and, with Bayer backing off so much, it looks as if they're going to be able to head into the half-time break ahead of the struggling German side.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be just one minute of added time.
43'
It's been a tough first half for Bellarabi, who has found little joy down the right flank and is continually being put under plenty of pressure by Rukavina, who has worked extremely hard thus far. However, he is finally able to find himself in a pocket of space and uses the opportunity to curl a cross into the Villarreal box, but it's sent too near to Areola and the goalkeeper is able to cut out the danger before it can find Kiessling.
41'
It's heating up on the pitch! Kiessling and Ruiz clash in the middle of the field as they battle for the ball, and the defender ends up falling on the striker in the aftermath. The German isn't at all happy with what so happened, and he immediately jumps to his feet before squaring up to the Villarreal number 6. The referee quickly intervenes to stop the situation from becoming any worse, but not before the centre-back can give his opponent a little push.
39'
And now Soldado goes close! Castillejo twists and turns on the left wing before skipping past Jedvaj far too easily. He then heads towards the byline before sending an excellent low cross towards the near post, where it finds the Spanish striker, but his lovely little flick is pushed out for a corner by a good one-handed save by Leno.
37'
Chance for Hernandez! Calhanoglu picks up the ball on the left wing and immediately launches a cross into the middle of the Villarreal penalty area after being closed down quickly. It meets Kiessling, who then nods the ball into the path of his Mexican striker partner, but just as the latter turns to shoot the referee ends up awarding a free-kick to the hosts for a push on Bailly in the build-up.
35'
Wendell seems to have made a full recovery and makes his way back on to the pitch as play resumes with a free-kick for Bayer on the left flank. It's curled by Calhanoglu into the heart of the Villarreal penalty area and almost finds Papadopoulos, but the centre-back is beaten to the ball by Gaspar, who then thumps it away from danger from the byline.
34'
There's some concern for Wendell at the moment, as the Brazilian seems to be struggling after clashing with Denis in the air. The two rose high to meet the ball and the full-back seemed to fall awkwardly afterwards, and he'll have to go off the pitch to receive further medical treatment.
32'
Bellarabi is clumsily fouled by Castillejo as he tries to dart down the right wing, and Bayer are awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position as a result. It's flung into the middle of the penalty area and somehow ends up bouncing over to Kramer, but just as the midfielder is about to shoot he's eventually closed down by the Villarreal defence, who are just about able to clear the danger before the German can unleash a shot.
30'
The first corner quickly turns into a second, which is curled towards Ruiz in the heart of the penalty area. It slightly misses the centre-back before being headed away by Tah, but the defender's attempted clearance can only find Soldado. The striker immediately fires a volleyed strike from the left-hand corner of the box, but it's completely overhit and fails to trouble Leno.
29'
Bakambu goes close! The resulting set-piece is curled towards the near post, where it easily finds the Congolese striker. The flight of the ball takes him slightly by surprise but he's still able to make contact with it with his thigh, but his close-range effort ends up bouncing off the leg of Papadopoulos and out for another corner on the left wing.
28'
Castillejo charges down the left wing before spinning and cutting the ball back to Soldado. The striker is quickly closed down by Calhanoglu but skips past the Bayer captain with ease before unleashing a rocket of a shot from 30 yards out that deflects off the head of Papadopoulos and out for a corner.
26'
Bayer go close again! Kramer embarks on a great run down the right wing as he weaves his way through a sea of yellow shirts. He then cuts inside and beats Rukavina with ease on the edge of the Villarreal penalty area before cutting a pass back into a dangerous position inside the box, but, much to his frustration, there's nobody there to meet it.
24'
Chance for Hernandez! Jedvaj finds himself in a pocket of space deep down the right wing, allowing him to curl a well-hit cross into the middle of the Villarreal penalty area. It's fired slightly behind the Mexican striker but he's still able to get a head on to the ball, but he's unable to get enough power behind it to beat Areola, who is easily able to stop the former Manchester United man's rather tame effort.
22'
Villarreal patiently work the ball around inside their own half of the pitch, where the Bayer front line are putting them under very little pressure. Ruiz then launches a well-placed lofted pass up towards Soldado, who rises high and meets the ball in the air before Tah can, but as soon as he does so the linesman's flag is raised for offside, even though the replays show that the striker was a yard or so onside.
20'
Jedvaj presses high up the pitch and ends up being fouled by Castillejo near to the halfway line, resulting in a free-kick for Bayer and a rare chance to fling the ball into the Villarreal penalty area. The set-piece is fired over to the far post, where Papadopoulos is waiting, but it's sent over the head of the centre-back and harmlessly out of play for a goal-kick.
18'
It just isn't quite working for Bayer, who are finding it difficult to get on the ball and, when they do, are struggling to do much with it. They patiently move the ball near to the halfway line as they try to find a way to bring Hernandez and Kiessling into play, but they're unable to find a way past a compact and well-organised Villarreal midfield and end up losing possession as a result.
16'
Crisp passing from the Villarreal midfield sets up Castillejo, who immediately tries to take on Jedvaj down the left flank. He initially is able to skip past the Croatian before heading towards the corner flag, but before he can swing a cross into the penalty area he ends up running the ball out of play for a throw-in.
14'
J. Tah gets yellow.
Villarreal work the ball around quickly inside the Bayer half of the pitch as they try to find a way through the sea of black shirts camped in front of them, but before they can do so Soldado is clattered into from behind by Tah, and the centre-back is shown the first yellow card of the game as a result.
12'
After dealing with the Bayer attacking move, Villarreal fly forward on one of their own as they look to take advantage of the space left behind by the German side's marauding full-backs. They do so well as Bakambu charges down the right wing before trying to tee up Soldado on the edge of the visitors' penalty area, but Jedvaj is there to cut out the danger with an excellent toe-poked interception.
10'
Vital goalkeeping by Areola! Kramer picks up the ball in a pocket of space just outside of the Villarreal penalty area, and he immediately chips a wonderful cross into the box. It flies over the heads of Ruiz and Bailly before sailing towards Kiessling, who is completely unmarked, but just as he's about to make contact with the ball the French goalkeeper charges out to clear the danger with a strong fist.
8'
After a difficult start to the game, Bayer are finally able to push forward on their first attacking move of the game, but Bellarabi is unable to find a way past Rukavina deep down the right wing and is dispossessed by the Villarreal full-back before the hosts try to break away on another quick counter-attack.
6'
Straight from the restart, Villarreal win back possession and push forward on another determined attack. They put the nervy Bayer back four under pressure once again and work the ball around well before Castillejo attempts to break down the left flank, but the winger's final touch is poor and sends the ball bouncing past Jedvaj after he had done well to beat the Croatian defender.
4'
C. Bakambu has scored a goal for Villarreal! Assist by Soldado.
Assist Roberto Soldado Rillo
GOAL! Fantastic start by Villarreal! A poor attempted clearance by Papadopoulos flies right onto the foot of Soldado, who quickly sends the ball back over the head of the Greek centre-back and into the path of Bakambu. The striker is completely unmarked on the edge of the Bayer penalty area and is easily able to penetrate the box before slotting a lovely low shot past the outstretched limbs of Leno and into the back of the net to give the hosts an early lead.
3'
What a chance for Villarreal! Gaspar twists and turns near the corner flag on the right wing before spinning past two Bayer players and heading towards the edge of the penalty area. The full-back then sends a lovely low cross into the path of Soldado, who immediately unleashes a thumping strike that is well saved by Leno. The goalkeeper can only push the ball back into the feet of the striker, however, but the former Tottenham Hotspur man ends up firing his follow-up shot comfortably wide of the near post.
1'
And we're off!
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Europa League last-16 first-leg clash between Villarreal and Bayer Leverkusen at the Estadio El Madrigal.
Tonight brings together two sides that will be full of confidence about their chances of reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League, as both have impressed thus far and boast two of the strongest sides in the competition. For Villarreal, they will be looking to improve on a season that has already gone to plan thanks to a sturdy defence that has been causing problems for teams across Europe. In La Liga, they currently sit in an excellent fourth place, just seven points behind Real Madrid and with the second-best defensive record in the division, whilst they are unbeaten in their last seven European games, five of which ended in victories. Two strong performances against Napoli - who were arguably one of the favourites to win the competition - in the last round saw them beat the Italian side 2-1 on aggregate, and they will now be looking to continue that good run with another impressive display against a Bayer side that have struggled in recent weeks.
Despite finishing equal on points with second-place Roma, a tough Champions League group stage campaign resulted in Bayer dropping down to the Europa League with just one win under their belts. Since then it’s been a difficult three months for the German side, who have won only half of their 14 competitive games during that period and, as a result, now sit in a disappointing eighth place in the Bundesliga. They have looked much better in their two Europa League clashes, however, and back-to-back wins against Sporting Lisbon comfortably sent them through to the last-16. Their recent form is a worry though, and it’s at the back where they’ve been particularly poor. In all of their last three games, Roger Schmidt’s men have conceded three or more goals, and only one of those - Saturday’s hard-fought 3-3 draw away to Augsburg - didn’t end in a defeat.
Marcelino has decided to make four changes to the Villarreal side that started last weekend’s league clash at home to Las Palmas, with Eric Bailly, Antonio Rukavina, Manu Trigueros and Cedric Bakambu coming into the starting line-up to replace Daniele Bonera, Adrian Marin, Tomas Pina and Adrian, respectively.
Meanwhile, Bayer boss Roger Schmidt has also made four alterations to the side that featured in the draw with Augsburg, with Sebastian Boenisch, Andre Ramalho, Admir Mehmedi and Robbie Kruse making way for Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Jonathan Tah, Javier Hernandez and Stefan Kiessling.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: VILLARREAL 1-0 BAYER LEVERKUSEN
It's not been the best of halves for Bayer, who started the game half asleep and fell behind early on after a piece of poor defending by Papadopoulos. From then onwards they have offered little when going forward, which has made life incredibly easy for Villarreal. The hosts have sat back and defended well to continually frustrate their opponents, who are trying to find joy down the flanks but have been unable to do so due to strong performances from Gaspar and, in particular, Rukavina. As a result, Hernandez and Kiessling have had little to work with in front of goal, with the latter being particularly quiet thus far.
The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: VILLARREAL 2-0 BAYER LEVERKUSEN
Villarreal are in firm control of this tie thanks to a great victory this evening, and it was one that was made far too comfortable by a Bayer side that never showed up. From their slow start to their disappointing end with Jedvaj receiving a second yellow card in the dying seconds of the contest, the Bundesliga team continually struggled at both ends of the pitch. Defensively, they were too easily picked apart by the hosts' front line, who thoroughly enjoyed themselves on the counter, whilst at the other end they could rarely find a way through the Yellow Submarine's compact and well-organised defence, which fully deserve to leave with a clean sheet after putting in a strong display from start to finish. As a result, Marcelino's men have one foot in the quarter-finals, and, barring a disaster next week, they should make it there at the expense of Roger Schmidt's struggling side.
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