Leeds United 1 Villarreal 1: New faces and attacker impact in front of big Elland Road crowd — YEP 2/8/25

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By Lee Sobot

Leeds United took on La Liga side Villarreal at Elland Road in the penultimate friendly before the new Premier League campaign.

New faces got their first taste of Elland Road where last season’s top scorer again netted as Leeds United’s penultimate pre-season friendly of the summer against Villarreal ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Leeds team news provided a few surprises with new keeper Lucas Perri missing out together with Dan James, Jayden Bogle and Jack Harrison in addition to Sebastiaan Bornauw who was already known to be injured.

In front of an impressive crowd of 35,273, striker Lukas Nmecha had the best two chances of the half for Leeds although a ferocious free-kick from new signing Anton Stach from a tight angle also flew just wide of the right hand post.

Nmecha’s first chance arrived in the opening minutes as the striker was played in down the right by a lovely through ball from fellow new boy Sean Longstaff.

Nmecha got himself into the box under pressure from defenders but his low shot from the edge of the area was easily saved by keeper Luiz Junior.

Much later in the half, Junior produced another save and this time a very good one to thwart Nmecha, scrambling his shot on the turn away for a corner after good work from Whites pair Isaac Schmidt and Brenden Aaronson.

Villarreal, meanwhile, had two particularly good chances of their own and only a brilliant save from Karl Darlow prevented them from going ahead on the stroke of half-time, the Whites keeper somehow tipping Gerard Moreno’s header from point-blank range over the bar for a corner.

Earlier, Leeds looked in trouble as a ball over the top played in Yeremy Pino one-one-one but Pino could only produce a weak low shot that Darlow easily saved.

The second half then got off to a very quiet start but Villarreal went ahead in the 62nd minute through Etta Eyong who was able to head home into an empty net after Illan Meslier was left grounded upon tipping a Moreno header on to the bar from a cross from the right.

Leeds, though, drew level just five minutes later through last season’s Golden Boot winner Joel Piroe with a typical striker’s finish from the middle of the box after a cross from Brenden Aaronson had caused chaos and some Villarreal pinball in the box.

Soon after, the Whites very nearly went ahead through Largie Ramazani who did well to work an opening on the edge of the box and send in a low shot that was destined for the bottom left corner until being tipped behind.

Villarreal then finished the game strongly yet Leeds and teenager Harry Gray were denied a late winner by the frame of the goal as the striker’s looping header from a free-kick was tipped on to the bar and over although the teen had been flagged offside.

Leeds United v Villareal: Darlow, (Meslier 46), Schmidt (Byram 63), Rodon, Struijk (Bijol 46), Gudmundsson, Ampadu, Longstaff (Gruev 46), Stach (Tanaka 63), Gnonto (Ramazani 63), Nmecha (Piroe 46), Aaaronson (Gray 81). Subs not used: Cairns, Chadwick, Crew.

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