KOLOSSI, Cyprus: Villarreal fell to a humbling 1-0 defeat away to Pafos on Wednesday, as their dismal Champions League campaign continued after Derrick Luckassen scored to give the Cypriot side their first win of the competition.
The Spanish club may be riding high in third place in LaLiga, but remain on one point in Europe, while Pafos move on to five points.
Given both clubs’ campaigns so far, a goal fest was never likely. Villarreal scored twice in three games, both coming in a 2-2 draw with Juventus, while Pafos had netted only once, which came in a 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich.
The hosts created an early chance with Quina making a mazy run into the area and curling a shot just over the bar before Villarreal wasted a couple of opportunities to take the lead.
Georges Mikautadze completely missed the ball when Ayoze Perez squared a headed pass to him all alone in front of goal and Pape Gueye put his effort straight at the keeper when sent through on goal.
The visitors were rocked in the opening minute after the break when Pafos won a corner and unmarked defender Luckassen powered a header into the net.
Villarreal’s search for an equalizer lacked any real conviction to leave the home fans celebrating a famous win.
Villarreal stunned in 1-0 Champions League loss to Pafos
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Villarreal stunned in 1-0 Champions League loss to Pafos
- The Spanish club may be riding high in third place in LaLiga, but remain on one point in Europe
- Pafos move on to five points
McLaren hit by fuel-supply issue during F1 testing
- “During the lunch break the team identified an issue on the fuel system that required extensive investigation,” McLaren said
- As a result, their second testing session was cut short
PARIS: McLaren revealed on Thursday that they encountered a fuel-supply problem with their Mercedes engine during the penultimate day of pre-season private testing in Barcelona.
After world champion Lando Norris became the first to take the wheel of the new MCL40 on Wednesday, his Australian team-mate Oscar Piastri completed 48 laps of the circuit on Thursday morning.
“During the lunch break the team identified an issue on the fuel system that required extensive investigation,” McLaren said in a statement.
As a result, their second testing session was cut short.
“There’s a lot of challenges this year up and down the grid, so it was good to get stuck in,” said Piastri.
“These cars are completely different to what we’ve had the last few years. That’s part of what this test is about.”
Aston Martin unveiled their new car on Thursday, designed by British engineer Adrian Newey.
Lance Stroll was first to take it out on track, with Spain’s Fernando Alonso set to drive on Friday, according to the team.
With the upheaval in technical regulations set to take effect for the upcoming season, teams are focusing this week on the reliability of their cars rather than performance.
A clearer picture of each team’s competitive performance will only emerge during the two official test sessions in Bahrain in February, ahead of the season?opening Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 8.
