Villarreal ... 1 Inter Milan ... 0 Aggregate 2-2.Villarreal win on the away goals rule.Villarreal extended their Champions League fairytale with a 1-0 win against Inter Milan to reach the semi-finals on away goals in their first season in the tournament.
Full back Rodolfo Arruabarrena headed the crucial second-half goal that was the culmination of a frantic display, notably from Juan Roman Riquelme, Diego Forlan and Alessio Tacchinardi, during which the Italian team came under constant pressure.
The early part of the match had been a template of the performance that Villarreal needed and that coach Manuel Pellegrini had demanded. They were confident, unhurried and purposeful in possession, and the Inter players who had been ordered by Roberto Mancini to attack, were instead forced to defend.
Inter rarely made it out of their own half with any real purpose in the first 45 minutes and Villarreal's creative players, Juan Pablo Sorin, Forlan and Riquelme, saw plenty of the ball.
In fact, within the first half-hour, Villarrreal had created three presentable chances. Before the third minute had passed it took an absolutely exceptional penalty-box block from Marco Materazzi to prevent Riquelme volleying in the opening goal.
Villarreal's second opportunity came as Sorin raced on to a chance inside the area from which he might well have scored had he not tumbled too easily under the challenge of Materazzi in the 28th minute. Then, almost immediately, Arruabarrena had a clear header at the back post which he delivered into the chest and arms of Francesco Toldo.
The break arrived with Tacchinardi spurning one more invitation to put Villarreal ahead on aggregate when his 44th-minute header went over the bar.
Villarreal doubled their efforts and their efficacy in the second half. Marcos Senna crashed a drive straight at Toldo, and the goalkeeper then had to save outstandingly well from Jose Maria Romero's chip to the top right-hand corner of his goal.
Between those moments Riquelme drew a block from the Inter custodian, and the sense that a goal was inevitable was proved correct with just over 30 minutes remaining.
Riquelme surged forward and was fouled by Luis Figo. From the free-kick the Argentine lofted the ball so as to meet Arruabarrena's run across the box, and the man who had scored in the last round to eliminate Rangers headed home to move Villarreal towards the semi-finals.
Only minutes later, a wonderful one-two between Forlan and Jose Mari allowed the Uruguayan to bring out Toldo's best stop of the night, the latter diving to his left to turn the shot around the post. That might have kept the scores down, but Villarreal were not to be denied.
VILLARREAL: Viera, Javi Venta, Quique Alvarez, Pena, Arruabarrena, Senna, Tacchinardi, Sorin (Josica, 78), Riquelme, Forlan (Calleja,90), Jose Mari (Franco, 78). Subs not used: Barbosa, Arzo, Roger, Santi Cazorla.
INTER MILAN: Toldo, Cordoba, Materazzi, Samuel, Zanetti, Figo (Mihajlovic, 78), Cambiasso, Veron (Cruz, 85), Stankovic, Recoba (Martins, 56), Adriano. Subs not used: Julio Cesar, Burdisso, Pizarro, Gonzalez.
Referee: K Vassaras (Greece).
