Armeros stage fine comeback to claim victory at Ipurua
Eibar fought back to overcome a Villarreal side that enjoyed the upper hand in the first half but who had no response to the hosts' brave and confident second-half display
SD Eibar staged a spirited comeback against one of the top sides on the European scene to put pay to the visitors' unbeaten start to the campaign.
Going into the game, the Armeros had never managed to beat Villarreal during their time in Primera, whilst the Yellow Submarine were undefeated so far this term. Both of those records fell today with an Eibar victory which was secured thanks to a brave and confident performance from José Luis Mendilibar's charges.
Fran Escribá's men had the better of the first half, as the visitors controlled proceedings and prevented Eibar from playing their game. The hosts were defending well and didn't afford the opposition any chances as it looked as if the outcome of the contest was destined to be decided in the second half. However, with 41 minutes played a Florian Lejeune challenge on Nicola Sansone saw the referee award a penalty and Bruno Soriano stepped up to hand Villarreal the lead.
Right before the interval, Lejeune let fly with an explosive right-footed strike from outside the box which had Sergio Asenjo scrambling across his goal to turn the effort behind for a corner.
The two sides came out for the second period with contrasting set-ups and whilst Eibar looked to attack with ambition, Villarreal's approach was more conservative as the visitors looked to break on the counter to put the game out of Eibar's reach.
Asenjo became the visitors' hero as he kept his side's advantage intact with three excellent saves between 64' and 65', denying dangerous efforts from Sergi Enrich, Kike García and Pedro León.
The clock ticked down and the flow of the game remained the same: Eibar pushed for an equaliser, but Villarreal were strong at the back, dealing comfortably with the hosts' attacking threat.
However, the Armeros' comeback began on 80 minutes when Iván Ramis picked up a loose ball from a Pedro León corner from the right and sent a powerful right-footed drive beyond the dive of the powerless Asenjo.
Both sides now went in search of victory and the Armeros struck the decisive blow on 86 minutes, with an Eibar counter-attack culminating in Sergi Enrich slipping the ball to Pedro León, who fired home to claim his fourth goal of the season.
Today with more poignancy than ever, the Murcia-born winger raised his hands to the sky in memory of this brother, who died in an accident exactly 11 years ago to the day.
Escribá's charges looked to find an equaliser but Eibar remained solid and held firm to claim victory to the delight of the home players and supporters, who toasted a win which places the team safely in mid-table with a quarter of the LaLiga season played.