Villarreal break through late to beat Getafe

Villarreal beat Getafe 2-0 with two late goals from Tajon Buchanan and Carlos Romero. After the defeat, José Bordalás urged his team to improve significantly, particularly in possession and at both ends of the pitch.

Villarreal had to wait for a breakthrough. The side dominated the first half, but Getafe also came close to taking the lead: after a move by Mikautadze, Buchanan was poised to turn the ball in before Mojica intervened. Late in the match, Mouriño also tested David Soria, who made a crucial save for Getafe.

After 12 La Liga matches, Villarreal are 8th with 15 points, three points ahead of 15th-placed Getafe, who have 12. At home, Villarreal have 2 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats in 6 matches (8 goals scored, 7 conceded); away, they have 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats (9 scored, 8 conceded). Getafe are unbeaten at home in 6 matches, with 3 wins and 3 draws (8 goals scored, 4 conceded); away, they have lost all 6 matches, scoring 0 and conceding 14.

Buchanan eventually put Villarreal ahead, before Carlos Romero added the second. The win offered relief to Iñigo Pérez’s team before the international break, while the result renewed questions about Getafe.

Bordalás acknowledged that his team had struggled to keep the ball. “We struggled a lot with the ball, although without it we were quite serious,” he said. He also called for the team to take a hard look at itself and change direction: “We have to make a deep reflection because we cannot continue like this. We have to make a change.”

The Getafe coach also highlighted his side’s problems going forward, with the team finding it difficult to link passes and create chances. He called for more discipline and commitment, and said his side had yet to score away from home. Bordalás highlighted how demanding the schedule had been for Mojica, Gudelj and Dani Carvajal, adding that Carvajal had arrived without completing a full pre-season.

For Villarreal, Iñigo Pérez praised his players’ patience after a difficult week emotionally. He acknowledged that Getafe had defended well for a long time and that finding space against them was difficult. In his view, Villarreal’s persistence against an organised defence contributed to the late pressure. The result gives Villarreal a positive outcome before the break, while Getafe must respond to its coach’s criticism.