Villarreal qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday evening, partly thanks to a goal from Arnaut Danjuma. After the 1-1 in the first game in front of the home crowd, the team of trainer Unai Emery triumphed 0-3 in Turin. Danjuma made his productive contribution in the stoppage time of the match, with a score of 0-2: the attacker was allowed to score a penalty after an unfortunate hand by Matthijs de Ligt and passed goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny with a low shot into the left corner.
“There are certain moments in football that you really have to embrace. This was perhaps one of the biggest matches of my career,” Danjuma said afterwards in conversation with RTL† “I am very eager to show myself and have waited a long time to get on this podium. I am grateful to Villarreal for the opportunity I am given.”
It’s collapsing at Juventus! † After a handball from De Ligt, Villarreal again gets a penalty and it is that other Dutchman on the field who makes it all even more painful?? The Spaniards make mincemeat of the Italians, 3-0! †#ZiggoSport #UCL #JUVVIL pic.twitter.com/loVs1BQqsE
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) March 16, 2022
In fact, Danjuma was not supposed to take the penalty. Gerard Moreno had taken care of the 0-1 from eleven meters in minute 78 and was also planning to take the second penalty. “Whether I was already planning to take a possible second penalty? Maybe,” Danjuma laughed in an English interview. “That’s why I had to kindly ask Gerard if I could take him. That was allowed and I am of course very grateful to him for that. I am very happy with my goal, be it a penalty, a goalkeeper or a world goal. They all count and I am very happy with it.”
“I’m always looking for a goal, especially against Juventus, defensively one of the best teams in the world. On Tuesday I already practiced on penalties, because I knew that it could turn out to be that way because of the 1-1 draw in the first game. I was in doubt for a long time about what to do, but in the end I chose the right angle.” It was Danjuma’s fifth goal for Villarreal in eight matches in the Champions League and with that he is even the club’s all-time top scorer in the tournament after Wednesday. He passed Joseba Llorente, who scored four times in seven games. Danjuma was also good for eight goals in a competition on behalf of the Eastern Spanish club.
Villarreal qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the third time in history, after previous success in 2005/2006 and 2008/2009. According to Danjuma, Emery is the key to success. “Unai is a tactical mastermind. He has a gift, especially if you look at the past and his previous performances in Europe. Working one on one with such a person is a pleasure for me. I am very eager to learn and I can learn a lot from him. He helps me and supports me. That means a lot to me,” emphasized the the Dutch international.
“Villarreal is a giant in Europe”, headlines marca† “In the last fourteen minutes, the European sky turned yellow. This day will forever be in the history of el Submarino Amarillo† Not only because Unai Emery’s team qualified for the quarterfinals, but also because Juventus had to throw it into the ravine. The club that spent 100 million in the last transfer window and is a strong supporter of the European Super League.”