After a true spectacle, Villarreal and Atalanta balanced each other on Tuesday evening during their first group match in the Champions League. Substitute Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld seemed to step off the field as match winner with a goal fifteen minutes before the end, but that party was interrupted by Robin Gosens: 2-2. Mark van Bommel held his own with VfL Wolfsburg on a visit to Lille OSC. The Dutch coach played against the French for half an hour with ten men after an indirect red card for John Brooks, but pulled a 0-0 score over the line. Danny Makkelie grabbed an absolute leading role and was called back twice by VAR Kevin Blom.
Villarreal – Atalanta 2-2
Villarreal and Atalanta turned it into a real spectacle from the first whistle. After only six minutes of play, the visitors took the lead, when Remo Freuler hit hard through the inside of the post on a pass from Duván Zapata. Gosens then had a great opportunity to double the score, but saw his shot get caught by goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli. The home side tied the score on the stroke of half-time. After Marten de Roon lost the ball, Alfonso Pedraza delivered the ball to Manu Trigueros. It was then a breeze for the latter to finish up close: 1-1.
In the second act, the entertainment value was at least on the same level as for the tea. Ruslan Malinovskiy thought he would create a new lead soon after the break, but saw his bet tapped from the top left corner. Gosens (attempt in front) was also unhappy in the finish. After more than half an hour of play, Unai Emery decided to bring Danjuma inside the lines, after which the Dutchman was accurate fifteen minutes later. The preparatory work was done by Gerard Moreno, after which Danjuma completed with a nice volley: 2-1. It was not enough for the victory, as Atalanta came alongside via Gosens. The German got the ball with some fortune through Aleksei Miranchuk and shot from close range. Francis Coquelin had to go in early five minutes before time because of a second yellow card.
Lille OSC – VfL Wolfsburg 0-0
In the first Champions League match of Van Bommel as trainer of VfL Wolfsburg, the devil was clearly in the second half. The only moment of excitement in the first half came from the head of Wout Weghorst, but the striker saw his header go just over. After five minutes in the second half, Wolfsburg thought he had to concede a goal. Jonathan David scored after a smooth attack, but was called back by referee Danny Makkelie. The Dutch referee disallowed the goal on the advice of video referee Kevin Blom after the ball had crossed the sideline prior to the goal.
Lille maintained a slight predominance and seemed to take the lead via Angel Gomes, but his attempt was narrowly missed. Wolfsburg was then sentenced to defend when Brooks from Makkelie received his second yellow card of the game and was able to call in early. Deep into injury time, Makkelie awarded a penalty to Lille after a foul by Josuha Guilavogui, but reversed his decision after another intervention by Blom. The Dutchman reversed his decision and put the ball outside the box, after which Burak Yilmaz’s free kick was headed off the line.