Baena and Sorloth gave Pacheta an extra life

The rush of Baena and Sorloth in the final moments of a very poor match with Villarreal allowed Pacheta to save a new match point at the expense of a Maccabi Haifa (1-2) who deserved more than their exile behind closed doors at the AEK Arena from Cyprus. The Israelis had the win in their hands but let it slip away when they were at their best and after conceding a 2-0 lead on several occasions in the second half.

Villarreal, from more to less and full of substitutes in the eleven, were saved by the starters, who Pacheta turned to when his team was in deep water. Before, in the first half and at the start of the restart, goalkeeper Keouf supported Maccabi with some memorable interventions, where the double penalty against Sorloth and Triguero that the referee ordered to be repeated must be highlighted.

The rivalry started at a moderate pace with a Villarreal that did not threaten much but controlled the situation against a Maccabi Haifa that took more than 20 minutes to wake up. In a strategic play, Seck put the Israeli team ahead but VAR took more than three minutes to validate the center back’s position (30′).

Pacheta’s team reacted immediately and just two minutes after going 1-0 up, Brereton forced a clear penalty into Keouf’s place. Israel’s goalkeeper stepped up to block Sorloth’s shot. However, the referee ordered a repeat of the maximum penalty at VAR’s request for an invasion of the area and the goalkeeper, this time against Trigueros, guessed the shot again to keep his team safe.

In the second half Pacheta picked youth player Jorge Pascual and after a good start, the submarine ran into Keouf again before starting to lose momentum. With the team split in two, Refaelov, David and Khalaili had a chance to extend the lead on the counterattack.

Villarreal were desperate as they weren’t creating chances until Baena, all alone, scored a good move down the left between Capoue and Moreno (82′). The Israeli team was undefeated at 1-1, but Sorloth, who had been denied until then, got the ball inside the area to seal the victory and give Pacheta more life.