Marcelino hails Villarreal's historic achievement

Villarreal - Cropped

Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia Toral reminded his team they are "just two games away from the final" after they made history by reaching the Copa del Rey's final four for the first time.

Gerard Moreno's well-taken goal with 12 minutes remaining on Thursday wrapped up Villarreal's 2-0 quarter-final aggregate win, sending the Valencian club to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey for the first time in their history.

Toral was thrilled with the achievement but reminded Villarreal that they should not be satisfied with a last-four berth.

"Our intention today was just to make sure we went through. We are in the unusual situation of being in the semi-finals for the first time in Villarreal's history and that makes us feel very proud," Toral said after the win over Getafe.

"I congratulate the players - now we are just two games away from the final. Next up we have a very difficult rival – one which is probably in their best form of the season but no one can take away the hopes and excitement we feel tonight."

Villarreal will face Barcelona in the semi-finals, while Espanyol will take on Athletic Bilbao for the other spot in the Copa del Rey final.

"We will be facing Barcelona in the next round and the first leg is at their ground," Toral said.

"It's not going to be easy. We need to take a positive result from Camp Nou to have a chance of wrapping up the tie in front of our fans – and the possibility of playing the final."

Villarreal have never won a top-tier competition.

Based approximately 65 kilometres north of Valencia, Villarreal's best La Liga finish was second in 2007-08, while they have been semi-finalists in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

 

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