Real Madrid weren’t the only Spanish club with a crucial European clash in London this week. Villarreal went to Arsenal and secured a 0-0 draw in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final, winning a place in a European final for the first time in their history.
The victory will have had a special significance for Unai Emery, who was sacked by Arsenal the season before last. His Villarreal team progressed thanks to their first leg performance, where they beat Arsenal 2-1 at La Ceramica thanks to goals from Manu Trigueros and Raul Albiol.
They’ll face Manchester United in the final in Gdansk, after United beat Roma over two legs in the other semi-final. They won the first leg 6-2 before going to Italy and losing 3-2 but winning on aggregate. Edinson Cavani opened the scoring for the visitors only for Edin Dzeko and then Bryan Cristante to turn the tie on its head. Cavani equalised, before an Alex Telles own goal tipped the balance in Roma’s favour, although it was ultimately futile.
