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Villarreal and Elche shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw in Round 9 of La Liga at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Despite clear dominance from the hosts, who unleashed 20 attempts on goal, they were unable to break the deadlock, with the referee and VAR playing pivotal roles in the outcome. A second-half penalty awarded to the visitors was ultimately overturned after a review.
The Yellow Submarine imposed heavy pressure right from the opening whistle, with Alberto Moleiro missing a golden one-on-one chance inside the first minute.
In the 13th minute, Moleiro found the back of the net, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR check for offside in the build-up. Ten minutes before the interval, Moleiro struck again, only to see his 32nd-minute effort disallowed as well.
The drama continued after the break. In the 62nd minute, the referee pointed to the spot in favour of Elche, but reversed the decision following a two-minute monitor review after judging that a foul had been committed against Villarreal.
The stalemate comes just days after Villarreal's impressive 3-1 Champions League victory over Napoli on 13 October, which had seen them bounce back from a 1-0 domestic defeat to Real Madrid. However, dropping points against Elche leaves them ninth in the La Liga standings with nine points from nine matches.
Elche, meanwhile, remain locked in a relegation battle. Sitting 18th with seven points from nine games, they stay in the bottom three despite coming away from the Estadio de la Cerámica with a valuable point.
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