Villarreal players celebrate after winning the UEFA Europa League final match between Villarreal CF and Manchester United in Gdansk, Poland, May 26, 2021. (Photo by Lukasz Laskowski/Xinhua)
GDANSK, Poland, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Villarreal beat Manchester United 11-10 in a penalty shootout to win the Europa League final on Wednesday in Gdansk, Poland after Edinson Cavani canceled out Gerard Moreno's opener.
9,500 fans, sitting in the stands of the stadium in Gdansk, could feel satisfied as the match was played with high intensity from the first minute to the final whistle. It was Manchester United who made a strong start to press high and force "El Submarino Amarillo" to play defensively in the beginning period.
Villarreal's goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli saved Marcus Rashford's effort from distance, while Edinson Cavani couldn't tap in after a stunning pass by Mason Greenwood, who found the striker in the penalty area. Instead of shooting, Cavani tried to pass to Rashford and he missed a perfect chance to break the deadlock.
The "Red Devils" paid a huge price for their ineffectiveness. The team coached by Unai Emery woke up and tried to take the initiative to threaten De Gea. After the first half, Emery was closing in on his fourth Europa League triumph as his players lead 1-0.
Gerard Moreno found the net with 29 minutes on the clock. Dani Parejo lifted in a free-kick, while Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof weren't able to stop Moreno, who beat David de Gea from close range by arrowing the ball into the near post. Villarreal needed just one shot on target to lead 1-0 after the first half. The players from El Madrigal were on the way to securing the first major trophy in the club's history.
However, Manchester responded just after the break. Scott McTominay's shot was deflected over the bar by Torres, but in the 55th minute, Cavani showed ruthlessness. Luke Shaw found Rashford from a corner kick before the England striker hammered a dangerous shot. After three ricochets the ball landed in the path of Cavani, who made no mistake.
The team from Old Trafford continued the momentum to try to give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his first trophy as Manchester United manager. It seemed that the "Red Devils" were close to breaking Villarreal's record, who won 11 games and drew just one in the Europe League campaign.
Manchester kept the ball in Villarreal's half to create more chances but in the 71st minute, Pau Torres made a crucial block to stop Cavani's header after a fast attack by Luke Shaw from the left wing.
As it turned out, neither Manchester nor Villarreal found a decider in 90 minutes or in extra time and the penalty shootout would be the decider.
10 consecutive penalties were scored before goalkeeper Rulli became the hero for Villarreal. The Argentinian beat De Gea and then saved the Spaniard's effort to lead his team to the trophy. Enditem
