Villarreal extended their winless streak at Estadio de la Cerámica to four matches (D3, L1), but a spirited 2-2 draw against Real Sociedad brought them a step closer to European football, creating a four-point cushion over sixth-placed Real Betis.
Going into the encounter occupying the final UEFA Champions League qualification spot, Villarreal had the opportunity to widen the gap with a positive outcome.
The hosts wasted no time asserting themselves, breaking the deadlock in just the seventh minute.
Yeremy Pino timed his run perfectly to meet Sergi Cardona’s low cross at the far post, calmly slotting home to hand Villarreal an early advantage.
Dominating possession thereafter, Villarreal looked in control, but a twist came via VAR, which spotted a Thierno Barry handball in the area. Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up and coolly dispatched the resulting penalty, squeezing it past Luiz Junior.
Despite being beaten from the spot, Junior showed his quality later in the half. He acrobatically tipped Takefusa Kubo’s curling effort onto the crossbar and followed it up with a crucial close-range save from Luka Sucic.
But disaster struck immediately after the break. A costly lapse from Junior saw him receive a pass from Juan Foyth under intense pressure.
Oyarzabal closed down swiftly, cutting off the passing route and bundling the ball over the line, leaving the goalkeeper with nowhere to hide.
Still, Villarreal showed resilience. Eleven minutes later, Pino turned creator, delivering a lofted ball into the box for Ayoze Perez, who nodded in his 14th goal of the campaign, drawing the hosts level once more.
With momentum on their side, the Yellow Submarine thought they’d grabbed the winner in the 68th minute when Foyth picked out Pino with a floated delivery.
The winger’s delicate finish found the net, but celebrations were halted by the assistant’s flag for offside.
