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Valencia and Villarreal played out a dramatic 1-1 draw but Super Eagles' Samuel Chukwueze was notably quiet during the game
Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze was unusually subdued during Villarreal’s 1-1 draw against Valencia in the Derbi de la Comunitat.
Chukwueze was unable to muster as much as a shot on goal for Villarreal in the LaLiga fixture, while completing only two of five attempted dribbles and registering only one key pass in the 81 minutes he spent on the pitch before being withdrawn for forward Gerard Moreno.
How it happened
In Chukwueze’s material absence, Senegalese forward Nicolas Jackson starred for Villarreal in the eventual draw, continuing a recent hot streak that has seen him score four goals in his last three LaLiga games with the Yellow Submarine.
Despite Villarreal dominating their hosts for most of the Valencian derby, they will still count themselves fortunate to have come away with a point after Valencia were denied two goals thanks to tight offside calls during the game.
The two sides played out a keenly contested and heated first half which was fit for a derby as five yellow cards were handed out in the opening 45 minutes of the game, while only one shot on goal found its way to the target.
They entered the break all square at 0-0, but the second life was full of goal-mouth action as both sides left the bickering and fighting to focus on the football.
Villarreal opened the scoring just after the hour through Jackson but were almost pegged back soon after Edinson Cavani had the ball in the back of the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Valencia eventually got their equaliser after 72 minutes, when Samuel Lino finished brilliantly when he was set up by substitute Hugo Duro.
The goal was Valencia’s only legal shot on target in the entire game, but they almost stole all three points at the death when substitute Alberto Mari found the back of the net three minutes into stoppage time, but was denied a dramatic winner by the linesman’s flag.
The draw temporarily keeps Valencia out of the relegation zone with 34 points, although Getafe and Espanyol could draw level with them on points with them if they win their outstanding games.
The draw temporarily keeps Valencia out of the relegation zone with 34 points, although Getafe and Espanyol could draw level with them on points with them if they win their outstanding games.
Meanwhile, the draw leaves Villarreal with slim hopes of reaching the UEFA Champions League places at the end of the season, as they are now seven points behind Real Sociedad in fourth.
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