Samuel Chukwueze scored one of Villarreal’s five goals in Tuesday’s Copa Del Rey victory over Cartagena. The Nigerian International scored his first goal of the season for Villarreal against Valencia, and has now scored his second after coming off the bench against Cartagena.
The Yellow Submarine were startled in the 39th minute of the Round of 32 match at Municipal Stadium Cartagonova when Pablo Vazquez evaded the offside trap and scored past Pepe Reina.
Villarreal, on the other hand, produced a fantastic comeback, with Alex Baena tying the game 10 minutes later before Arnaut Danjuma and Jose Luis Morales made it 3-1 in the 56th and 60th minutes, respectively.
Villarreal coach Quique Setien then brought in Samuel Chukwueze for Danjuma in the 62nd minute, and he added the fourth in the 85th minute before Etienne Capoue completed the rout in the 90th. Setien was pleased with the outcome of the game, but noted some flaws that must be corrected before the next encounter.
“Cartagena came out with desire and it cost us a lot. In the second half, we equalised early and from then on we had more space, which we took advantage of and converted into chances,” Setien said as quoted by the club’s official website.
“I’m happy with some things and not so happy with others. We lacked a bit of accuracy and speed in our ball circulation. They are a very physical team who put in a lot of crosses and that’s where we were going to suffer. We’ll take lessons from the game and the best thing is that we’re winning. That’s always positive.”
Last Saturday, Samuel Chukwueze broke his goal drought for Villarreal in a 2-1 La Liga victory over Valencia at Estadio de la Ceramica. Prior to this goal, he had last scored in a 2-1 loss to Alaves at Mendizorrotza Stadium on April 30, 2022.
Coach Setien will be relieved that Samuel Chukwueze appears to be recovering his goal-scoring form just in time for the season. So far in the League season, the Super Eagle has appeared in 14 games and provided one assist. He appeared in 27 games last season, scoring three goals and providing three assists.
Samuel Chukwueze hopes to maintain his winning streak when they face off against Real Madrid on Saturday, January 7 at the Estadio de la Ceramica.