Villarreal’s Juvenil A squad will face Atletico Madrid in Copa del Rey final

Villarreal’s Juvenil A squad will face Atletico Madrid’s youngsters in the Juvenil Copa del Rey final next week after defeating Real Madrid 3-2 on aggregate. Taking a 1-0 lead to the capital, Villarreal found themselves 2-0 down at halftime—an early penalty and a headed goal midway through the period put them behind.

But Villarreal played much better in the second half and made the breakthrough in the 69th minute; a Fer Niño grasscutter from the top of the box was perfectly placed, eluded Madrid’s keeper Altube, and settled into the corner of the net. That goal meant Villarreal would progress on away goals, and Madrid’s chances were further diminished when one of their players was sent off in the 88th minute. In extra time, the Yellows sealed the deal with a goal from Gonzaga.

Niño now has four goals in the competition, which I believe is the most for Villarreal since Gerard Moreno scored five one year. The final will be played in Almeria next Saturday; it should be interesting since German Valera, who left Villarreal for Atleti last year, is in their squad. Sr. Roig was very upset and accused Atleti of tampering, so don’t count on a matey lunch with the two club presidents....

This has been a great year for our Juvenil A squad, one more match to go....