Chapter 80: Easy Promotion
Despite losing 2-0 to Villarreal in the first leg, Napoli have the emotional advantage of being unbeaten in 16 consecutive European home games and unbeaten at home against La Liga sides.
And what about Villarreal?
Historically, he has never won a game in Italy.
But after the starting line-ups of both sides were announced, Yellow Submarine fans were already celebrating the team's advancement.
Because Napoli will play Fiorentina in the league next Monday, Maurizio Sarri rotated several key players, Callejon, who was rested in the first leg, and Mertens started in place of Higuain.
Marcelino, on the other hand, was the main force – a sign from the starting line-up that showed how seriously both sides took the game.
From the start of the game, Dai Zhiwei showed a desperate desire to score goals, and after dribbling the ball up front, he cleverly combined with Castillo to kick the wall, and then slotted a shot from the left side of the penalty area, but his pass from a tight angle slid out of the goal.
"If only I had the skill of a razor's shot, this goal is definitely there!" Dai Zhiwei also had some regrets after missing the goal, but fortunately, there was still more time.
Villarreal, who were completely dominant, had plenty of chances to score, and shortly after Dai Zhiwei wasted his last goal, Castillo played another wide pass and Bakambu's volley from inside the box went just wide.
Not only did Napoli completely lose the situation after the opening, but in the 11th minute of the game, the team's main player Valdi Fiori was accidentally injured in a normal scramble, although the severity of the injury could not be determined, but he said goodbye to the game early.
Valdi Fiori's departure made Napoli, who were already hungry for a win, even less motivated.
Villarreal took advantage of the situation and did not spare people, and the momentum of the attack was higher and higher!
In the waves of attacks of the yellow submarine, Dai Zhiwei played exceptionally well.
After adapting to the defensive style of the Serie A team, Dai Zhiwei has gradually become accustomed to the chain defense of Italian football.
In the 12th minute, Dai Zhiwei passed the ball on the right side of the penalty area after dribbling quickly, and Trigueros grazed the crossbar with his left foot from 22 yards in the middle.
Three minutes later, Dai Zhiwei made a comeback, and it was a pass from the right side of the penalty area after breaking through the wing, and Bakambu's adjusted shot after winning the ball from 6 yards on the right side of the penalty area was blocked by Napoli defender Strinic subconsciously stretched out his foot to block the bottom line.
Then, Pina's first corner was cleared by a Napoli defender's header, and Musacchio's non-stop volley from outside the box to the cleared ball was a direct volley, but the powerful long-range shot from 0 yards out was deflected wide of the goal, and it was not just a little bit off.
It turns out that even if Musacchio has the heart of a striker, he can only play at the back based on his footwork.
After seeing Dai Zhiwei put on an outstanding performance many times, the other offensive players of the Yellow Submarine were naturally not to be outdone.
After a midfield tackle, Pina, who had the ball, adjusted on the spot, and after seeing the situation in front, it was a long pass, but Bakambu's header near the penalty spot in the box was deflected wide again.
A minute later, Pina again crossed the ball from the edge of the box, and Bakambu's powerful shot from five yards was still deflected, and I don't know how Pina felt when he saw his striker's footwork comparable to that of a defender.
Napoli's first shot on goal came in the 30th minute, when Real Madrid veteran Callejón cut inside and fired wide from distance, a game in which Villarreal goalkeeper Areola almost caught a cold due to lack of activity on the pitch in late February.
Fortunately, five minutes later, Napoli had another shot on goal, and Callejon shot from outside the box was purely for the sake of shooting, not for the sake of scoring, and a powerful long-range shot hit Areola's chest, which was then confiscated by the French goalkeeper, who was still a little sore in his chest.
In the final moments of the first half, Villarreal won a free-kick in front of the field, Trigueros was responsible for driving the free-kick, and Rukavina's powerful shot from 25 yards was tipped over the crossbar by Napoli goalkeeper Reina, which was Villarreal's seventh shot of the first half, but none of them flew into the Napoli goal.
At the end of the first half, Villarreal had 62 per cent possession and had an 8-to-2 shot ratio, but they were a bit unlucky.
Dai Zhiwei was not discouraged at midfield, and his few shots on goal today were not bad, but he was a little short of seizing the opportunity, and the problem was not too big.
After the start of the second half, Villarreal was still scoreless, after the kick-off of the second half, Villarreal was still pressing hard, Rukavina chose to head the ball after receiving the cross, Suarez's volley from 25 yards was not suppressed, and the football was sent directly to the stage.
In the 51st minute, Pina made a long pass near the center circle line, and Dai Zhiwei got a chance on the right side of the penalty area but was punished for offside by the side referee, but the slow-motion replay showed that the referee's decision was controversial.
For this misjudgment, Marcelino has nothing to do but choose to smile bitterly?
After all, this is Napoli's home stadium, and although the decision is basically fair in this game, there will still be occasional home whistles.
A minute later, Villarreal, who had just suffered a misjudgement, made a comeback when Castillo Joho's low shot from 25 yards bounced off the defender and Villarreal won the first corner of the second half.
Then, Lukavina whipped in a corner from the right, and this time Bakambu's shot from two yards out was quality but was chased back by Kirichesz in front of the goal line.
Marcelino continued to sit firmly in the Diaoyutai and led 2:0 in the first leg, giving him enough confidence.
But he didn't expect that instead of waiting for Villarreal, who had the advantage on the field, to score, Napoli, who had been falling behind, started a sneak counterattack.
In the 58th minute, after a foul in the midfield of Villarreal, Napoli sent a quick free kick, Callejon got the ball and got up to the top with a long pass, and Gabbiadini's long-range shot in the penalty area hit Bailly's body and deflected, piercing Areola's ten fingers.
1:0!
After this goal, the situation on the field suddenly changed dramatically, and the Napoli side, who originally thought that the Europa League was irrelevant, changed their minds, after all, it only took one more goal to draw the aggregate score between the two sides.
It seems that promotion is also a good option?
Marcelino was also in a hurry, playing his first substitution of the game, replacing the almost invisible ole of the game with Soldado.
Villarreal finally took the lead shortly after the introduction of Soldado, when Pina's pass from the edge of the box was cleverly missed by Soldado, and Dai Zhiwei met Napoli centre-back Kirichesh when he received the ball in the box.
Dai Zhiwei met the ball and put on a strong volley posture, but when Kirichesh stretched his leg to block the football route, he switched to a shot, dialed the ball to the left side of his body, and grabbed another Napoli central defender Hai Sai stepped forward to block, picked up his left leg and kicked it on the spot!
Although Dai Zhiwei's habitual foot is the right foot, even the tiger shot with the left foot is much more powerful than the most players' all-out shots!
Dai Zhiwei's heavy artillery hit the right side of the neutral post and rebounded into the net, its power was so great that even after the football rushed into the nest, the goalball column was still "buzzing" and trembling!
1:1!
“goooooooooooooooooooooal!”
This time it was not any commentator who shouted this word, it was Dai Zhiwei who was standing in front of the goal with both hands clenched into fists, and Dai Zhiwei, who had been yelling at the word, was like a demon god surrounded by his teammates!
In the last game, he was watched by the Atletico Madrid backline, and he finally had a chance to vent!
After Villarreal broke the deadlock, the game was much easier for them, and Maurizio Sarri looked down again by more than two goals, completely giving up, and began to signal his players to avoid injury for the weekend and Fiorentina's Serie A tie.
Feeling the oppression of the opponent not so strong, the yellow submarine kicked more and more freely.
It was Villarreal's attack again, Musacchio returned a pass from the left side of the penalty area, Dai Zhiwei reused the ball and pulled the ball past a man and his powerful shot from 20 yards was saved by Reina, and Bakambu grabbed the ball saved by Reina and selflessly chose the return pass in front of the goal on the right side.
It's a pity that in the face of this opportunity to score more easily than not to score, Soldado's low shot from 7 yards out was bizarrely missed!
In the 80th minute, Lukavina crossed from the right, Dai Zhiwei chose to shoot with a barb after jumping up and found that the header could not be directly hit the goal, but unfortunately the barb shot from 4 yards grazed the crossbar by a finger.
If this goal is scored, it will definitely be the best goal in this round of the Europa League, and it could even compete for the best goal in this season's Europa League.
However, it didn't take long for Dai Zhiwei to be depressed, Bruno passed the ball after a steal in the midfield, Pina played directly in front, and Dai Zhiwei successfully countered offside after stopping the ball on his chest.
After holding his breath before the game, he shook off the attacking Reina, and did not choose a more secure push, but used a more blood-boiling violent volley to hit the football into the empty goal!
2:1!
Dai Zhiwei, who scored twice, finally smiled, and made a V-shaped gesture in front of the camera!
2:1 was also the final result, and in the end, Villarreal eliminated the absent-minded Napoli with an aggregate score of 4:1 and successfully rushed to the next round of the Europa League.
After the game, Dai Zhiwei, who scored twice, jumped to joint fifth place in the Europa League scorer list this season with four goals, while he only played in two knockout games in the Europa League.