Villarreal 2-3 Deportivo: Aubameyang’s late magic turns La Cerámica into a nightmare for the Yellow Submarine
La Cerámica, Saturday night, 5 September 2026. Kick-off under the lights for Matchday 4 of LaLiga EA Sports. On paper it looked like a mismatch. Villarreal, Champions League participants, still hunting their first win of the season but packed with quality and playing at home. Deportivo de A Coruña, freshly promoted, unbeaten but expected by many to eventually run into the brick wall that is a top-half side with European pedigree. What unfolded was anything but predictable. The visitors left with a 3-2 win, three more points, and another night that confirmed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is writing one of the most unexpected late-career chapters in recent Spanish football history.
Setting the scene
Villarreal arrived with two points from three games, a worrying start for a side that finished last season in the upper half and earned a return to Europe. Íñigo Pérez’s side had drawn twice and lost once, leaking goals and looking short of the ruthlessness required at this level. Deportivo, under Antonio Hidalgo, sat with five points and an invincible start. Their recruitment had been ambitious for a promoted club: José María Giménez on loan from Atlético, Marc Casadó from Barcelona, Adama Traoré free, and of course the 37-year-old Aubameyang from Marseille for a modest fee. The Gabonese striker had scored in every game so far. The question was whether the magic would travel to a proper away night against a side that could dominate the ball.
The home crowd was restless from the start. Villarreal’s recent form had left them impatient, and the pre-match tributes to the security forces who worked the Serra d’Espadà fires did little to ease the tension. Deportivo’s travelling support made themselves heard, as they always do when the team is on a high.
How the game unfolded
Villarreal started brighter. They pressed high, forced turnovers, and looked to exploit the spaces behind Deportivo’s full-backs. In the 19th minute the breakthrough arrived. A loss of possession by Luismi Cruz in midfield allowed the Yellows to break. The ball was played quickly into Nicolas Pépé’s path. Leo Román came racing off his line and got the decision badly wrong. Pépé stayed calm and slotted into the empty net. 1-0. La Cerámica exhaled.
Many promoted sides would have folded. Deportivo did the opposite. They absorbed the blow and began to play with more conviction. Aubameyang dropped deeper, linking play. Bil Nsongo battled for every aerial ball. The equaliser arrived three minutes before half-time and carried Aubameyang’s fingerprints all over it. Giménez, the experienced centre-back, stepped out and played a sharp pass into the striker’s feet. Aubameyang’s first-time lay-off was perfect for the onrushing Luismi Cruz, who finished low and across Luiz Júnior into the far corner. 1-1. The half-time whistle blew on a scoreline that felt about right. Villarreal had the better chances and the territorial edge, but Deportivo had shown they could hurt them in transition.
The second half began with Villarreal dominant. Possession climbed past 60 per cent. They forced corners, blocked shots, and pinned Deportivo deep. A free-kick goal by Pape Gueye was correctly ruled out for encroachment. The pressure finally told in the 76th minute, though not in the way anyone expected. Adama Traoré, introduced as a substitute and playing in an unfamiliar right-back role at times, rose to clear a cross and headed firmly into his own net. 2-1. The home fans roared. It looked like the moment Villarreal would finally get their first win.
Instead, Hidalgo made a decisive change. Zakaria Eddahchouri came on for Luismi Cruz. Within three minutes the Moroccan had equalised. Aubameyang, again the creator, found him in a pocket of space on the left side of the box. Eddahchouri’s left-footed strike was pure instinct, low and across the goalkeeper into the far corner. 2-2. The stadium fell quiet.
Then came the moment that will be replayed all week. In the 88th minute Villarreal tried to play out from the back. A loose pass from substitute Ilias Akhomach was intercepted. Aubameyang was already moving. He collected the ball in midfield, accelerated past the last defender, and raced clear. One-on-one with Luiz Júnior, the veteran stayed ice-cold and slotted low past the goalkeeper’s dive. 2-3. Cue the front flip. Cue pure bedlam in the away end. Deportivo had come from behind twice and stolen the points in the dying minutes.
Tactical analysis
Hidalgo’s plan was clear: concede possession, stay compact, and trust Aubameyang and Nsongo to punish mistakes. In the first 20 minutes it almost backfired. Deportivo completed barely 80 passes. Villarreal’s press, inherited from previous regimes and refined by Pérez, forced errors. Once the equaliser went in, the visitors grew into the contest. They still finished with only 38 per cent possession and eight shots to Villarreal’s 17, but the quality of their chances was higher. Expected goals reflected a tight contest that Deportivo edged in the key moments.
Villarreal’s problem was the same one that has plagued them all season: they create but do not finish. Pépé was lively and scored a fine goal. Gerard Moreno worked hard. The midfield of Saliba and Gueye controlled large spells. Yet the final pass or the decisive finish kept eluding them. The own goal was cruel, but the two late goals conceded spoke to a lack of concentration and a fragile confidence. When the score became 2-1 they sat deeper instead of pushing for the killer third. That hesitation invited the counter.
Deportivo’s midfield worked tirelessly. Lorenzo Amatucci and Mario Soriano (later Casadó) screened the back four. The full-backs, Ximo Navarro and Giacomo Quagliata, were brave in supporting attacks. Giménez looked every inch the experienced international, organising and stepping into midfield at the right times. But everything flowed through Aubameyang. Two assists and the winner at 37 years old is not normal. His movement, his decision-making under pressure, and his sheer will to win set the standard.
The substitutions mattered. Traoré’s pace stretched Villarreal even after the own goal. Eddahchouri’s introduction restored the 4-4-2 shape and gave them a second runner. Hidalgo’s willingness to change the system mid-game, and then change it back when the own goal went in, showed a coach who reads the temperature of a match well.
Top highlights
- Pépé’s opener (19’). A sharp counter, a heavy touch by the goalkeeper, and a calm finish. The kind of goal that settles a nervous home crowd.
- Luismi Cruz’s equaliser (43’). Giménez’s progressive pass, Aubameyang’s clever lay-off, and a precise low drive. Pure team goal.
- Adama Traoré’s own goal (76’). A header from a defending position that looped past his own keeper. Harsh on the substitute, who later caused problems with his running.
- Eddahchouri’s instant impact (79’). On the pitch for minutes and already level. A striker’s finish from a tight angle.
- Aubameyang’s winner (88’). The interception, the burst of pace that still exists at his age, the composure in front of goal, and the celebration. Classic Auba.
Honourable mentions: Leo Román’s recovery saves after his early error, Nsongo’s physical battle, and the away support that never stopped believing.
What it means
Deportivo sit on eight points from four games, still unbeaten, and dreaming bigger than most newly promoted sides dare. They have the look of a team that can cause problems for anyone on their day. Aubameyang has four goals and two assists already. Hidalgo has a squad that mixes experience and hunger. The next few weeks will test them, but the belief is real.
Villarreal remain on two points and still searching for a first win. The Champions League return against Dortmund comes with heavy baggage. Pérez needs results quickly. The fans made their feelings clear at full-time. Possession and shots mean little if you cannot close out games or keep concentration for 90 minutes. The Yellow Submarine is leaking, and the repair job is becoming urgent.
This was not a classic in the purest sense. Villarreal dominated large stretches. Deportivo were clinical when it mattered and refused to accept the script. Football at this level often rewards the side that keeps believing longer. On a September night in Castellón, that side wore blue and white.
Aubameyang left the pitch to applause from both sets of fans. At 37 he is still writing headlines. Deportivo are still writing a story that no one saw coming this strongly. And Villarreal are left staring at the table, wondering when the first three points will finally arrive. The season is young, but nights like this can define trajectories. For one club it was a statement. For the other, another warning.
