Villarreal CF in European football

Last updated
Villarreal CF in European football
Club Villarreal CF
Seasons played21
First entry 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup
Latest entry 2025–26 UEFA Champions League
Titles
Europa League
1
Intertoto Cup

Villarreal CF , a Spanish football club, has played in European football since 2002, in the Intertoto Cup, UEFA Cup, Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League and UEFA Super Cup. The club won their first Europa League title in 2021.

Contents

History

2005–06 UEFA Champions League

The 2005–06 season brought the club considerable European success and recognition, due to their consistent performances in the Champions League. In the qualifying round stage, Villarreal controversially defeated English side Everton with a 4–2 aggregate score with two 2–1 victories. In the group stage, Villarreal were to be in the same group as Portuguese champions Benfica, French club Lille, and England's Manchester United. Remaining undefeated throughout the group stage, Villarreal were twice victorious (1–0 each against Benfica away and Lille at home) and earned four draws, including two scoreless draws with Manchester United. They topped their group and progressed to the knock-out stages along with Benfica. The club progressed to the quarter-finals in their Champions League debut by defeating the Scottish club Rangers 3–3 on the away goals rule (a 2–2 draw in Glasgow and a 1–1 draw at home gave the Spanish side one more away goal than their opponents).

El Submarino Amarillo drew Italian giants Inter Milan in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The first leg was played at the San Siro on 29 March 2006, where Villarreal's Diego Forlán scored inside the first minute of the match, but Villarreal lost 2–1 as Inter took a lead to the return leg at El Madrigal on 4 April. Villarreal, however, continued their unbeaten home record in the Champions League after winning the second leg 1–0 to qualify for the semi-finals on the away goals rule (the tie ended 2–2 on aggregate, but because of Forlán's goal in Milan, Villarreal advanced). During that game, left-back Rodolfo Arruabarrena turned a back header from Juan Román Riquelme free kick past Inter goalkeeper Francesco Toldo to score the decisive goal of the tie. In the semi-finals, Villarreal narrowly lost out to Arsenal on a 1–0 aggregate scoreline following Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann's save of Riquelme's last-minute penalty.

2008–09 Champions League

The club automatically qualified for the 2008–09 Champions League after finishing second in La Liga the previous season. They drew Manchester United, for the second consecutive campaign; Celtic; and AaB. They made a good start by holding current European champions United to a goal-less draw at Old Trafford, a third 0–0 draw in a row against the English giants. A first win was sealed on 30 September by beating Gordon Strachan's Celtic 1–0 at El Madrigal, courtesy of a Marcos Senna free-kick. On 21 October, during a Champions League match against AaB, they won 6–3. The Spaniards went through to the knock-out stage after drawing 2–2 with AaB in Denmark and drawing goalless once again against Manchester United, though they lost to an already eliminated Celtic in the last group stage match.

In the knock-out stage, they faced Panathinaikos, who left Villarreal with a 1–1 away advantage, despite this the Greeks were to lose 1–2 in Athens. Villarreal reached the quarter-finals for the second time in two tries, and were once again paired with Arsenal. The first leg saw a 1–1 draw by a free-kick by Marcos Senna, equalised by an Emmanuel Adebayor volley. Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie secured a 3–0 win for Arsenal on the return, knocking Villarreal out of the tournament.

2009–10 Europa League

For the 2009–10 season, Villarreal competed in the Europa League, defeating NAC Breda of the Netherlands by a 2–9 aggregate victory in a qualifier. They shared Group G with Levski Sofia, who they defeated 1–0 in the opening game, and with Lazio and Red Bull Salzburg. They came second in that group, behind Red Bull. Consequently, Villarreal was drawn against VfL Wolfsburg (who had dropped out of the Champions League) in the round of 32. Playing at home first, Villarreal secured a 2–2 draw, but in the return leg at Wolfsburg's Volkswagen Arena, Villarreal would succumb to defeat by a 4–1 scoreline.

2010–11 Europa League

Despite finishing outside of a European qualifying spot in the domestic league, Villarreal was given a place in the qualifying round of the Europa League after UEFA determined that Mallorca's financial irregularities precluded them from taking part in the tournament.

A 5–0 home win and a 2–1 away win against Dnepr Mogilev qualified them for the group stage. Villarreal suffered an early setback following a shock 2–0 loss in their away fixture against Dinamo Zagreb. Despite this, however, wins against Dinamo, Club Brugge and PAOK saw them top their group.

After beating Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen and Twente in the knockout phases, Villarreal qualified for the semi-finals to face tournament favourites Porto. After taking a 1–0 lead at the Estádio do Dragão, Porto made a remarkable turnaround that ended in a 5–1 defeat for Villarreal. Although Villarreal won the second leg with a 3–2 win, Porto's first leg goals saw them advance to the final to eventually defeat Braga, finishing as champions. Giuseppe Rossi finished as the tournament's second top goalscorer with eleven goals, behind Porto's Radamel Falcao.

Beginning of the 2020s: The European Fairytale

Having missed Europe during the 2019–20 season after finishing 14th in La Liga, Villarreal played their first European match of the decade on 22 October 2020, beating Sivasspor 5–3 at home in the Europa League. They would finish first in their group, ahead of Qarabağ, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Sivasspor, before knocking out Red Bull Salzburg 4–1 on aggregate, Dynamo Kyiv 4–0 on aggregate, Dinamo Zagreb 3–1 on aggregate and Arsenal 2–1 on aggregate. On 26 May 2021, Villarreal beat Manchester United 11–10 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the final, winning not only their first major trophy but also their first European trophy (excluding the UEFA Intertoto Cup). This win granted Villarreal a place in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage and to the 2021 UEFA Super Cup, which they lost to Chelsea 6–5 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.

On 14 September 2021, Villarreal played their first UEFA Champions League match in the group stage since 2011, a 2–2 draw to Atalanta. With three wins, one draw and two defeats, they managed to finish second of their group and qualify to the round of 16. In the knockout phase, Villarreal played Juventus in the round of 16, and knocked them out after drawing 1–1 at home before winning 3–0 away. Villarreal then played Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, and knocked them out as well after winning 1–0 at home and drawing 1–1 away, reaching their best record in the competition, the semi-finals, as they did in the 2005–06 season. Unfortunately for Villarreal, their fairytale ended at this stage of the competition, by losing 5–2 on aggregate to Liverpool.

Overall record

Accurate as of 14 March 2024
CompetitionPldWDLGFGAGDW%
UEFA Champions League 461415175156−5030.43
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League 134773126237137+100057.46
UEFA Europa Conference League 106222113+8060.00
UEFA Intertoto Cup 2412843216+16050.00
UEFA Super Cup 101011+0000.00
Total2151095749342223+119050.70

Legend: GF = Goals For. GA = Goals Against. GD = Goal Difference.

Matches

SeasonCompetitionRoundOpponentHomeAwayAggregate
2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup 2R Flag of Iceland.svg FH 2–02–24–2
3R Flag of Italy.svg Torino 2–0 ( a.e.t. )0–22–2(4–3 p)
Semi-finals Flag of France.svg Troyes 0–02–03–0
Final Flag of Spain.svg Málaga 0–11–11–2
2003–04 UEFA Intertoto Cup 3R Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg Brescia 2–01–13–1
Semi-finals Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Brno 2–01–13–1
Final Flag of the Netherlands.svg Heerenveen 0–02–12–1
UEFA Cup 1R Flag of Turkey.svg Trabzonspor 0–03–23–2
2R Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo Moscow 2–00–12–1
3R Flag of Turkey.svg Galatasaray 3–02–25–2
4R Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg Roma 2–01–23–2
Quarter-finals Flag of Scotland.svg Celtic 2–01–13–1
Semi-finals Flag of Spain.svg Valencia 0–00–10–1
2004–05 UEFA Intertoto Cup 2R Flag of Denmark.svg Odense 2–03–05–0
3R Flag of Russia.svg Spartak Moscow 1–02–23–2
Semi-finals Flag of Germany.svg Hamburger SV 1–01–02–0
Final Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid 2–00–2 ( a.e.t. )2–2(3–1 p)
UEFA Cup 1R Flag of Sweden.svg Hammarby 3–02–15–1
Group E Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg Lazio 1–12nd
Flag of England.svg Middlesbrough 2–0
Flag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg Partizan 1–1
Flag of Greece.svg Egaleo 4–0
Round of 32 Flag of Ukraine.svg Dynamo Kyiv 2–00–02–0
Round of 16 Flag of Romania.svg Steaua București 2–00–02–0
Quarter-finals Flag of the Netherlands.svg AZ 1–21–12–3
2005–06 [1] UEFA Champions League 3Q Flag of England.svg Everton 2–12–14–2
Group D Flag of Portugal (official).svg Benfica 1–11–01st
Flag of France.svg Lille 1–00–0
Flag of England.svg Manchester United 0–00–0
Round of 16 Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers 1–12–23–3 (a)
Quarter-finals Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg Internazionale 1–01–22–2 (a)
Semi-finals Flag of England.svg Arsenal 0–00–10–1
2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup 3R Flag of Slovenia.svg Maribor 1–21–12–3
2007–08 [2] UEFA Cup 1R Flag of Belarus.svg BATE Borisov 4–12–06–1
Group C Flag of Italy.svg Fiorentina 1–11st
Flag of Greece.svg AEK Athens 2–1
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Mladá Boleslav 2–1
Flag of Sweden.svg Elfsborg 2–0
Round of 32 Flag of Russia.svg Zenit Saint Petersburg 2–10–12–2 (a)
2008–09 [3] UEFA Champions League Group E Flag of England.svg Manchester United 0–00–02nd
Flag of Denmark.svg AaB 6–32–2
Flag of Scotland.svg Celtic 1–00–2
Round of 16 Flag of Greece.svg Panathinaikos 1–12–13–2
Quarter-finals Flag of England.svg Arsenal 1–10–31–4
2009–10 [4] UEFA Europa League PO Flag of the Netherlands.svg NAC Breda 6–13–19–2
Group G Flag of Austria.svg Red Bull Salzburg 0–10–22nd
Flag of Italy.svg Lazio 4–11–2
Flag of Bulgaria.svg Levski Sofia 1–02–0
Round of 32 Flag of Germany.svg VfL Wolfsburg 2–21–43–6
2010–11 [5] UEFA Europa League PO Flag of Belarus.svg Dnepr Mogilev 5–02–17–1
Group D Flag of Greece.svg PAOK 1–00–11st
Flag of Croatia.svg Dinamo Zagreb 3–00–2
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Club Brugge 2–12–1
Round of 32 Flag of Italy.svg Napoli 2–10–02–1
Round of 16 Flag of Germany.svg Bayer Leverkusen 2–13–25–3
Quarter-finals Flag of the Netherlands.svg Twente 5–13–18–2
Semi-finals Flag of Portugal (official).svg Porto 3–21–54–7
2011–12 UEFA Champions League PO Flag of Denmark.svg Odense 3–00–13–1
Group A Flag of Germany.svg Bayern Munich 0–21–34th
Flag of Italy.svg Napoli 0–20–2
Flag of England.svg Manchester City 0–31–2
2014–15 [6] UEFA Europa League PO Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Astana 4–03–07–0
Group A Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Mönchengladbach 2–21–12nd
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Zürich 4–12–3
Flag of Cyprus.svg Apollon Limassol 4–02–0
Round of 32 Flag of Austria.svg Red Bull Salzburg 2–13–15–2
Round of 16 Flag of Spain.svg Sevilla 1–31–22–5
2015–16 UEFA Europa League Group E Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Viktoria Plzeň 1–03–32nd
Flag of Austria.svg Rapid Wien 1–01–2
Flag of Belarus.svg Dinamo Minsk 4–02–1
Round of 32 Flag of Italy.svg Napoli 1–01–12–1
Round of 16 Flag of Germany.svg Bayer Leverkusen 2–00–02–0
Quarter-finals Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Sparta Prague 2–14–26–3
Semi-finals Flag of England.svg Liverpool 1–00–31–3
2016–17 UEFA Champions League PO Flag of France.svg Monaco 1–20–11–3
UEFA Europa League Group L Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Zürich 2–11–12nd
Flag of Romania.svg Steaua București 2–11–1
Flag of Turkey.svg Osmanlıspor 1–22–2
Round of 32 Flag of Italy.svg Roma 0–41–01–4
2017–18 UEFA Europa League Group A Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Slavia Prague 2–22–01st
Flag of Israel.svg Maccabi Tel Aviv 0–10–0
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Astana 3–13–2
Round of 32 Flag of France.svg Lyon 0–11–31–4
2018–19 UEFA Europa League Group G Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers 2–20–01st
Flag of Austria.svg Rapid Wien 5–00–0
Flag of Russia.svg Spartak Moscow 2–03–3
Round of 32 Flag of Portugal (official).svg Sporting CP 1–11–02–1
Round of 16 Flag of Russia.svg Zenit Saint Petersburg 2–13–15–2
Quarter-finals Flag of Spain.svg Valencia 1–30–21–5
2020–21 UEFA Europa League Group I Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Qarabağ 3–0 (awd.)3–11st
Flag of Israel.svg Maccabi Tel Aviv 4–01–1
Flag of Turkey.svg Sivasspor 5–31–0
Round of 32 Flag of Austria.svg Red Bull Salzburg 2–12–04–1
Round of 16 Flag of Ukraine.svg Dynamo Kyiv 2–02–04–0
Quarter-finals Flag of Croatia.svg Dinamo Zagreb 2–11–03–1
Semi-finals Flag of England.svg Arsenal 2–10–02–1
Final Flag of England.svg Manchester United 1–1( a.e.t. )(11–10 p) (N)
2021 UEFA Super Cup Final Flag of England.svg Chelsea 1–1( a.e.t. )(5–6 p) (N)
2021–22 UEFA Champions League Group F Flag of England.svg Manchester United 0–21–22nd
Flag of Italy.svg Atalanta 2–23–2
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Young Boys 2–04–1
Round of 16 Flag of Italy.svg Juventus 1–13–04–1
Quarter-finals Flag of Germany.svg Bayern Munich 1–01–12–1
Semi-finals Flag of England.svg Liverpool 2–30–22–5
2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League PO Flag of Croatia.svg Hajduk Split 4–22–06–2
Group C Flag of Poland.svg Lech Poznań 4–30–31st
Flag of Israel.svg Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2–22–1
Flag of Austria.svg Austria Wien 5–01–0
Round of 16 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Anderlecht 0–11–11–2
2023–24 UEFA Europa League Group F Flag of Greece.svg Panathinaikos 3–20–21st
Flag of France.svg Rennes 1–03–2
Flag of Israel.svg Maccabi Haifa 0–02–1
Round of 16 Flag of France.svg Marseille 3–10–43–5

References