Brisbane Roar has shocked Villarreal CF, recording a dominant 3-0 win over the La Liga club in tonight’s LFP World Challenge tour match at Suncorp Stadium.
Nineteen year-old midfielder Devante Clut found the back of the net either side of the break with Jean Carlos Solorzano rounding out the 3-0 result with a tidy finish late in the first half.
Despite Villarreal CF promising all-out attack, it was the Roar that demonstrated their willingness to play possession football from the outset, controlling the ball and pressing high throughout the 90 minutes with the Yellow Submarine content to absorb the pressure and attack on the break.
The weight of possession paid off for the Roar in the 40th minute, with Clut drilling a shot from outside the box into the top right hand corner. Despite an acrobatic dive, Villarreal goalkeeper Juan Carlos Sanchez had no chance of stopping the thunderbolt.
The Roar doubled their lead just four minutes later, with a scything pass from German playmaker Thomas Broich cutting open the Spaniards’ defence, leaving Solórzano one-on-one with Sanchez and the Costa Rican striker made no mistake, stroking the ball home from close range.
After a trio of substitutions at the break, similar to their tactics against Adelaide United on Friday night, Villarreal would have been hoping for the similar flurry of second half goals that saw them come from behind to beat the Reds 3-2 at the Adelaide Oval.
However, the Roar remained the fresher team after the break, constantly pressuring the Villarreal midfield and defence.
Villarreal’s best chance of the match came from the penalty spot after striker Luciano Vietto was adjudged to have been taken down in the box in the 70th minute by Roar defender Jack Hingert.
However, Vietto’s cheeky Panenka-style effort backfired, lobbing over the crossbar to the delight of 8,978-strong crowd.
The miss proved costly with Brisbane making them pay just a minute later as a cross from Broich found Clut in the box, who drilled it home from close range to secure his brace and put the Roar up 3-0.
Villarreal coach, Marcelino, speaking through a translator post-match, said the Roar were clearly the superior team and physically impressive. When asked to describe Clut’s 40th minute strike he had just one word: “Magnifico.”
The win signifies the first victory by a Hyundai A-League team over a European opponent during this star-studded Australian off-season. The Roar will be hoping to repeat their performance against English giants Liverpool FC when they take on the Reds at Suncorp Stadium on Friday, 17 July.
Brisbane Roar 3 (Devante CLUT 40′, 71′, Jean Carlos SOLORZANO 71′)
Villarreal CF 0
LFP World Challenge Tour
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Referee: Ben Williams
Crowd: 8,978
Brisbane Roar: 3. Shane STEFANUTTO (5. Corey BROWN 46’), 12. Jean Carlos SOLORZANO (38. Nicholas D’AGOSTINO 87’), 15. James DONACHIE, 16. Devante CLUT (34. Shannon BRADY 72’), 17. Matt McKAY (c), 18. Luke BRATTAN (35. Mitchell HORE 79’), 19. Jack HINGERT, 21. Jamie YOUNG (gk) (36. Fraser CHALMERS (gk) 88’), 22. Thomas BROICH, 28. Brandon BORRELLO (23. Dimitri PETRATOS 55’), 33. Luke DeVERE (14. Daniel BOWLES 9’)
Substitutes not used: 26. Lachlan JACKSON, 27. Abrahim YANGO, 29. Patrick THEODORE
Yellow cards: 15. James DONACHIE 5’
Red cards: Nil
Villarreal CF: 2. MARIO (c), 6. Jonathan DOS SANTOS (14. Manu TRIGUEROS 46’), 7. Luciano VIETTO, 9. GIOVANI (23. GERARD 64’), 15. Victor RUIZ TORRE (16. Jose Antonio DORADO 46’), 18. Jaume Vicent COSTA JORDA, 19. Moi GOMEZ, 22. Antonio RUKAVINA (21. BRUNO 62’), 25. Jean Carlos SANCHEZ (gk) (31. Aitor FERNANDEZ (gk)), 26. Sergio MARCOS, 27. Tano BONNIN
Substitutes not used: 4. Tomas PINA, 17. Denis CHERYSHEV
Yellow cards: Nil
Red cards: Nil
