Els PortsL'Alt MaestratEl Baix MaestratL'AlcalaténLa Plana AltaLa Plana BaixaL'Alt MillarsL'Alt PalànciaEl Racó d'AdemúsEls SerransEl Camp de TúriaEl Camp de MorvedreL'Horta NordL'Horta de ValènciaL'Horta OestL'Horta SudLa Plana d'Utiel-RequenaLa Foia de BunyolLa Vall de CofrentsLa Ribera AltaLa Ribera BaixaLa Canal de NavarrésLa CosteraLa Vall d'AlbaidaLa SaforEl ComtatL'AlcoiàL'Alt VinalopóEl Vinalopó MitjàLa Marina AltaLa Marina BaixaL'AlacantíEl Baix VinalopóEl Baix SeguraEls PortsL'Alt MaestratEl Baix MaestratL'AlcalaténLa Plana AltaLa Plana BaixaL'Alt MillarsL'Alt PalànciaEl Racó d'AdemúsEls SerransEl Camp de TúriaEl Camp de MorvedreL'Horta NordL'Horta de ValènciaL'Horta OestL'Horta SudLa Plana d'Utiel-RequenaLa Foia de BunyolLa Vall de CofrentsLa Ribera AltaLa Ribera BaixaLa Canal de NavarrésLa CosteraLa Vall d'AlbaidaLa SaforEl ComtatL'AlcoiàL'Alt VinalopóEl Vinalopó MitjàLa Marina AltaLa Marina BaixaL'AlacantíEl Baix VinalopóEl Baix Segura
VA|ES|EN

Diari Valencià

Twenty Years Since Riquelme's Missed Penalty Denied Villarreal a Champions League Final

Today marks two decades since the fateful Champions League match where a missed penalty altered the history of the Yellow Submarine.

Generic image of a soccer ball on grass, with a blurred goal in the background, under evening light.
IA

Generic image of a soccer ball on grass, with a blurred goal in the background, under evening light.

Today marks twenty years since the Champions League semi-final between Villarreal CF and Arsenal, a match defined by a last-minute penalty miss that shattered the Yellow Submarine's dream.

On April 25, 2006, the Madrigal stadium, now known as the Estadio de la Cerámica, hosted the second leg of a historic semi-final. Villarreal, having lost one-nil in the first leg in London, needed a minimal victory to level the tie and keep their aspirations alive.
Throughout the match, the Castellón-based team displayed clear superiority, creating several scoring opportunities that, unfortunately, could not be converted. Tension reached its peak when, with two minutes remaining, a penalty was awarded to Villarreal for a foul on José Mari Romero.
The team's star player, Juan Román Riquelme, stepped up to take the spot-kick. However, Arsenal's goalkeeper, Jan Lehmann, managed to save the shot, thus thwarting Villarreal's hopes of advancing to extra time and, potentially, the competition's final.
That Villarreal team from the 2005-2006 season, managed by Manuel Pellegrini, is still remembered for achieving the club's greatest milestone in the Champions League during their debut participation. Furthermore, Villarreal established itself as one of the smallest towns to reach so far in Europe's premier club competition.

Related News