Arsenal and Villarreal will play the semi-final of the Europa League. The The first leg will be held on April 29 and the return leg on May 6. The two teams will meet again fifteen years later after that tragic match at the Estadio de La Cerámica (the old El Madrigal).
The The Spanish team overcame their tie against Dinamo Zagreb after winning both games. Gerard Moreno scored in the first leg and the second leg with Paco Alcacer. Three goals that take them to the semifinal of the Europa League to face an old acquaintance with the yellow fans. The English team, meanwhile, left two faces in their clash with Salvià de Praga. At the Emirates Stadium he managed to win 2-1 although he left a bad image, which he managed to reverse on his visit to the Czech Republic with the young artillery. Saka and Smith-Rowe washed the bad image to seal the pass to the semis. Lacazette also left his stamp.
2006 semi-finals
Madrigal was bursting on that night of April 25, 2006 where the Champions League semi-final second leg was played. In the 88th minute, referee Valentín Ivanov took a breath to whistle with a penalty to the roar of the home crowd. Gaël Clichy knocked down José Marí inside the area. There was no question. It was a penalty. Juan Román Riquelme caught the ball to place it eleven meters from the goal. Villarreal was better during the match and that penalty forced extra time against Arsenal. The Argentine star missed the maximum penalty due to a great intervention by Jens Lehmann. The yellow submarine stayed at the gates of the final in Paris.
Arsène Wenger was the coach of that invincible team that he managed to leave Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal on the road before falling against Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona. A couple of years earlier they lifted the Premier League without losing a single game in the entire season and the Champions League would have been the final climax for that generation.
This tie will also mean Unai Emery's reunion with her former team. The Spanish coach was the one chosen by the board to replace Wenger on the bench. His cycle at Emirates did not have longevity, although he managed to lead the team to the final of the Europa League that Chelsea won. The poor results, the distancing from the squad and the fans were the end of his stage in England.