Samuel Chukwueze snatched a dramatic 88th-minute equaliser to send Villarreal through to the Champions League semi-finals at the expense of Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
Villarreal forward Samuel Chukwueze was the hero on Tuesday after he came on with just six minutes left on the clock at the Allianz Arena to score the equalizer against Bayern Munich that gave the Yellow Submarines a 2-1 aggregate win and a place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the second time ever and for the first time in 16 years.
But
quite interestingly, Villarreal’s historic win was masterminded by two players
with Nigerian blood running in their veins: Chukwueze and Arnaut Danjuma, the
forward who was born in Lagos to a Dutch father and a Nigerian mother.
Villarreal
went into the reverse fixture on Tuesday knowing they only needed to avoid a
defeat after claiming a stunning 1-0 in the first leg at the Estadio de la
Ceramica last week.
Danjuma’s
14th goal of the season had helped them claim a shock first leg win against the
German giants and cause to believe ahead of the second leg.
The former Bournemouth winger was at the end of a beautiful
team move that left Manuel Neuer, in goal for Bayern, rooted to one spot and
put an end to Bayern’s 22 away match unbeaten record in the Champions League.
After his heroics, manager pulled off Danjuma for Chukwueze
to play the final 10 minutes of the match.
Yet, the odds were stacked against the Submarines as they
were facing a Bayern side that had won all of their previous four home games in
the competition this season with a combined score of 20-3.
Dangerous striker Robert Lewandowski had grabbed the opener
at the Allianz Arena on 52 minutes to cancel out the visitors’ first leg
advantage and send panic among the travelling fans. Bayern, expectedly, then
piled on the pressure.
But just as the game appeared to be heading for extra time,
Emery again sent on Chukwueze for Danjuma, but this time, it was in the 84th
minute, just six minutes before full time.
To some, it was a cameo for the Nigerian and nothing more,
but Emery’s decision proved a masterstroke as Chukwueze scored four minutes
after he came on to earn his side a deserved spot in the last four of Europe’s
showpiece club competition.
It was his sixth goal of the season, with four coming as a
substitute, including two in the Champions League.
“I just want to hit it so it will just enter. I didn’t want
to waste any time; I just wanted to feel the moment, but it just happened,”
Chukwueze said after the game.
“We’re going to celebrate, inside the dressing room first,
then when we will get to our hometown, we’re going to celebrate more.”
And truly, they did celebrate.
Players jumped on tables and lockers in the away dressing
room as they revelled in stunning the Bundesliga champions.
The footage posted on Villarreal’s Twitter page, shows
manager Emery welcoming his players back into the changing room with huge hugs
and big smiles.
It then cuts to raucous scenes in the dressing room, with
the players jumping around in various states of undress, chanting the name of
the club.
Etienne Capoue is stood on a table amid the post-match
snacks, conducting his team mates, while Giovani Lo Celso dances topless on top
of one of the lockers.
Chukwueze also disclosed what his manager told him before he
was brought on in Munich on Tuesday.
“He just said, just run. When you don’t have the ball just
run that’s all what he told me.”
Danjuma has admitted his Nigerian roots, but never hid his
intention to represent the Dutch, and made his debut for the Europeans against
Germany in October 2018.
“Nigeria is a country I love but playing for them is an
option I see as a fall back if I don’t get my chance here. I’m here now and I
want to make it count,” Danjuma said.
The Super Eagles never had the opportunity to have Danjuma
join Chukwueze to help wreck opposing defences, but Emery did and made use of
it to good effect with Villarreal against Bayern.
And the former Arsenal manager will also be counting on his Nigerian connection in the remaining games of the competition to further shock more illustrious opponents in the Europe’s number one club football competition.
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