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Villarreal has hit back at Bayern Munich players, staff and coaches for the lack of respect the German club showed them after the tie was announced.
In a shock twist, Bayern Munich, one of the favourites for this edition of the UEFA Champions League, were knocked out by Spanish club Villarreal who only made it into the competition on the back of their 2020/21 UEFA Europa League win against Manchester United.
Of all the ties in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the Bayern-Villarreal tie was the tie written off as an easy fixture for the favourites. However, a masterful performance from the Yellow Submarine in defence and attack saw the match end 2-1 on aggregate in favour of the Spanish side.
Following the outcome of the tie, Villarreal midfielder Dani Parejo had some words for the German giants and their manager Julian Nagelsmann for showing a lack of respect.
Villarreal striker Gerard Moreno, who provided the assist for Samuel Chukwueze’s equaliser on Tuesday which became the winning goal in the tie, admitted that Bayern’s comments gave his teammates a crucial boost.
Meanwhile, Villarreal manager Unai Emery, whose pedigree in European competitions is solid and undisputable after four UEFA Europa League wins, subtly pointed out that his team won because they were the humbler side who put their head down and focused on the game.
Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann was quick to admit his failings, however, while claiming that the Spanish cultural mindset of defending gave Villarreal the edge over his super team.