On Tuesday, Villarreal gave Munich a surprise and ousted Bayern in a painful draw that put them in the semifinals of the Champions League. A historic bump that has only one precedent for the Spanish team: the mythical campaign of the Yellow Submarine in the 2005/2006 season, led by the boots of a particular Juan Román Riquelme.

The team led by Chilean Manuel Pellegrini will just leave Inter’s Juan Sebastián Verón and face Arsenal from England, led by Arsene Wenger, and include players such as Cesc Fábregas, Thierry Henry and Robin Van Persie, among other stars They are part of the campus.

Unlike Villarreal with its grinding teeth, defense and counter-attack, Román’s had another offensive force on footballers like Diego Forlán, Santi Cazorla, José Mari and the Brazilian nationalized Spaniard, Mark Senna. And like Rulli, Foyth and Lo Celso, he also had an albiceleste heart thanks to Juan Pablo Sorín, Gonzalo Rodríguez, Rodolfo Arruabarrena, Luciano Figueroa, Mariano Barbosa and the Argentine-Mexican Darío Franco.

The first leg in London against Arsenal turned out 1-0 in favor of the locals, who were able to make a change to the scoreboard by Kolo Touré in the 41st minute of the game. And the illusions for the rematch have not disappeared.

The tension at La Cerámica remained constant throughout the game, as did the score to zero. Up to 88 minutes into the game, the referee called a penalty for the local team and it was Román, obviously, the one who took the ball and took the shot.

That April, the preview of the 2006 World Cup in Germany came to life and the Champions League match was a bad omen for what awaits José Pekerman’s Argentine National Team.

Jens Lehmann, the same man who a few months later would be key to eliminating Albiceleste from Germany’s hands in the quarterfinals and on penalties, guessed Riquelme’s intentions and saved his shot by diving to the left.

“People might think it’s weird. But playing ball is fun and I’m not nervous. The club and the players did a great job. I will never see him again, neither in the game nor on the penalty. I can’t seem to see anymore. I feel we need to play that Champions League finals against Barcelona. I think we would have a good time “, the Argentine declared a few hours before remembering that missed penalty.

Arsenal went to the final in Paris, where they were defeated by Barcelona by Ronaldinho, Eto’o and a little Messi who did not play but started to make a name for himself in the world of football.

Now in 2022, after 16 years, Villarreal has a chance to avenge Román and the company. And another Englishman could appear on the road, none other than Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, who will play their revenge against Benfica at home after winning the first leg 3-1 over Portugal.

The Yellow Submarine, the same who beat Juventus and Bayern against all odds, want to continue on their way to the final on May 28, which will be played (again) in Paris.