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#85
Villarreal Make History While Everton Fume
8/25/2005 12:26:00 AM
Villarreal progressed to the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in their history after beating Everton 2-1 in El Madrigal.
Goals from Juampi Sorín and Diego Forlán saw the Yellow Submarines double their aggregate lead, although the Toffees may feel aggrived at the controversial decision to disallow a goal towards the end of the encounter.
With the tie in their favour before the kick off, Villarreal dominated the opening half as Everton employed Duncan Ferguson and Marcus Bent up front with little effect.
The home side opened their account after 20 minutes when Sorín ventured towards the area before unleashing a shot that deflected off David Weir and span past Nigel Martyn, who managed to clip the ball with his foot but could not stop it going in.
Forlán then had two efforts to double his team's advantage on the night, as he first side-stepped Kevin Kilbane before firing a shot that Martyn saved and then saw the keeper tip his next strike over the bar.
Juan Román Riqulme flighted a free-kick through the wall only for Martyn to again defy his years and psuh the ball away for a corner and then hit a shot from an acute angle that the Everton stopper again saved.
After the break it was again Villarreal that had the clearest chances in the opening exchanges as Riquelme saw three opportunities go begging, while Forlán again warmed MArtyn's gloves and Figueroa flicked Marcos Senna's shot goalwards, but the keeper was there to keep it out.
With 20 minutes remaining Everton through themselves a lifeline when Mikel Arteta expertly curled a free-kick past the Mariano Barbisa and into the net.
The goal lifted the visitors and they proceeded to play their best football over the two legs as they attacked down the flanks and finally provided their two big target men with something to aim for.
But it was with just nine minutes remaining that the tie swung in Villarreal's favour as referee, Pierluigi Collina, controversially ruled out a goal that could well have taken the tie into extra time.
Arteta's corner was hammered home by the head of Ferguson, but the Italian official believed that he had seen Bent commit a foul in the area and anulled the effort. Replays proved that the Everton forward had made no contact with his marker as the cross came over.
With that chance gone, the game slipped away from the Premiership outfit and Villarreal rubbed salt into the wounds when Sorín's 91sy minute cross was met Forlán who calmly passed the ball into the goal from eight yards to kill the game.