Villarreal, in need of a four-goal or more landslide to neutralize the 4-0 deficit handed to them by Olympique de Marseille in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16, can draw hope from history to accomplish this feat. The French side has succumbed on four occasions by a margin that would grant the Spanish team a chance to qualify.

The French team has suffered defeat by more than four goals on one occasion, while on three other occasions, the margin was four goals, which in this case would mean equalizing the tie and forcing extra time.

German side FC Cologne triumphed 6-0 in the second round of the UEFA Cup (now Europa League) in the 1973-74 season, overturning a 2-0 defeat suffered in the first leg in Marseille.

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Later, in the 1976-77 campaign, English club Southampton became their nemesis, prevailing 4-0 in the first round of the Cup Winners' Cup.

The last two occasions where a similar result to what Villarreal needs occurred were in the 1999-2000 and 2018-2019 seasons.

In the former, Italian side Lazio emerged victorious with a 5-1 scoreline in the Champions League group stage, while Eintracht Frankfurt defeated them 4-0 in the early stages of the Europa League.