Villarreal suffer costly injury blow and first defeat of the season against Real Betis

Villarreal suffered their first defeat of the season on Sunday night when they lost to Real Betis away from home.

The Yellows had gone four games unbeaten, keeping a clean sheet in each of those games, to start the La Liga season.

But they came undone in Andalucia on Sunday evening, losing to likely European rivals Betis 1-0.

Villarreal had chances during the clash, with Nicolas Jackson having one of the best, but he was thwarted by a last minute block as he broke through one-on-one.

Pau Torres also should have done better with a free header inside the Betis box, but it was the story of the night for Unai Emery’s men.

The Yellows didn’t make their chances count, and moments after losing Gerard Moreno to another muscular injury, Betis took the lead in the 61st minute.

Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images

A fine ball to the back post from the lively Luiz Henrique found Rodri, who tapped home having been left on his own by Kike Femenia.

And so it’s a first defeat for Villarreal. who face another tough test next weekend, taking on a Sevilla side looking to bounce back from a poor start.

Though, much more concerning will be the injury to Gerard, who struggled throughout last season with injury issues, missing more than half of the La Liga season.

When asked about the injury after the game, Emery confirmed it was a muscular injury, though he stated tests were needed.

The general perception is that it won’t be a lengthy lay-off for Gerard, but we will know more in the coming days.