Defiant Villarreal thrash Juventus to reach the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals

Villarreal defied the odds to put three past Italian giants Juventus at the Allianz Stadium in Turin as their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg ended 3-0 in their favour, ensuring that they emerged 4-1 aggregate winners.

Europa League champions Villarreal had held Juventus to a thrilling 1-1 draw at the Estadio de la Ceramica three weeks ago before they travelled to Turin for the second leg.

The home side had the upper hand in the first half as they looked threatening on the ball. Striker Dusan Vlahovic, who opened the scoring in the first leg, was denied by the woodwork as he attempted to repeat the trick in front of his home fans. His strike partner Alvaro Morata also saw a close range header saved by goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.

The second half saw Villarreal manager Unai Emery ring the changes and he threw on Samuel Chukwueze and Gérard Moreno. The changes helped tilt the game in his favour as his side went in front shortly after.

Former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin made a penalty area entry before he was brought down by a clumsy challenge from Daniele Rugani. The ball broke kindly for Chukwueze, who duly slotted it home only for the referee to disallow the goal and award a penalty for the foul instead. Moreno stepped up and slotted home the penalty in the 78th minute.

Villarreal doubled their advantage seven minutes later as towering defender Pau Torres was on hand to smash home from close range after Serge Aurier flicked a header into his path following a corner kick.

The Yellow Submarines added a third in added time after Dutch defender Matthijs De Ligt handled the ball in his area, allowing Lagos-born Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld to slot home the resulting penalty and seal the result.

Villarreal will now participate in Friday’s quarterfinal draw, joining fellow La Liga sides Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.