Villarreal’s glory is a tale of redemption, vindication and disbelief | Sid Lowe

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Club has a first trophy after beating Manchester United, thanks to a second-choice keeper who had never taken a penalty

The greatest victory of all belonged to everyone, a whole team effort. So often said, this time it was true. Gerard Moreno, Dani Raba, Paco Alcácer, Alberto Moreno, Dani Parejo, Moi Gómez, Raúl Albiol, Francis Coquelin, Mario Gaspar, Pau Torres, Gerónimo Rulli: by the time Villarreal had won their first trophy every player on the pitch had scoredand it wasn’t just them either. It was everything and everyone; a town of 50,577, the smallest to have a European title and, then, at the end of it all a single man standing there alone, trying not to think about it.

After 98 years of history, 24 years under the men who changed the club for good, 21 seasons in the top flight, 14 years in Europe and four semi-finals at which they fell, always halted at the gate; after 120 minutes, two goals and 20 penalties, every one put away, it came down to this. To their goalkeeper. Their second-choice goalkeeper.

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from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/27/villarreal-glory-a-tale-of-redemption-vindication-and-disbelief-manchester-united

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