LaLiga
Ruthless Villarreal crashes Griezmann Atleti farewell
Antoine Griezmann's final game for Atletico Madrid ended in a crushing defeat as Ayoze Perez starred for Villarreal, which cruised to a stunning 5-1 win. … Show More
Antoine Griezmann's final game for Atletico Madrid ended in a crushing defeat as Ayoze Perez starred for Villarreal, which cruised to a stunning 5-1 win.
Perez grabbed two goals along with an assist in a match that saw five goals scored in a frenetic first half, with Villarreal boss Marcelino bowing out in some style, too.
A lively opening at the Estadio de la Ceramica got its first goal in the 30th minute when Nicolas Pepe was taken down in the box by Juan Musso, with Dani Parejo stepping up to send the Atletico goalkeeper the wrong way from the resulting penalty, on what was also his farewell appearance.
It got even better for Villarreal four minutes later after Alfonso Pedraza stole possession from Marcos Llorente. His cross was cleared by David Hancko but only as far as Perez, who rifled the ball into the net.
Villarreal pulled further clear five minutes before the break when a long punt over the top sent Perez on his way, with the Spaniard cutting the ball back for Georges Mikautadze, who made his way around Clement Lenglet to score.
Marc Pubill pulled one back before the break when he nodded Griezmann's inviting corner home, but the hosts restored their three-goal cushion on the stroke of half-time through Pape Gueye's stunning strike from the edge of the box.
Perez made it five for Villarreal nine minutes after the restart, drilling into the bottom-left corner after taking in Pepe's deflected pass as Villarreal clinched third place ahead of Atleti.
