Samuel Chukwuweze scores in Villarreal friendly defeat by Valencia

Samuel Chukwueze found the back of the net but was on the losing end of a 2-1 friendly defeat by Valencia on Friday.

The game was the Yellow Submarines third during pre-season game, the first ending in a 3-1 win over Cartagena before losing 3-2 to Tenerife in their last encounter.

There was hope of improved form when Chukwueze gave Villarreal the lead in the ninth minute with a left-footed finish from the edge of the box. It remained that way heading into half-time.

Valencia then staged a comeback in within 10 minutes thanks to a brace from Uruguayan forward Maximiliano Gomez.

#ValenciaVillarreal | 1-0 🚨 9′ | GOAL! @chukwueze_8 gives the Yellows the lead with a perfect left-footed finish from the edge of the area.

— Villarreal CF English (@Eng_Villarreal) August 28, 2020

Chukwueze has been involved in all of Villarreal’s pre-season games so far with their next ties coming up against Real Sociedad and Levante as they continue preparations for the new La Liga season.

The Yellow Submarines, now under the watch of former Arsenal boss Unai Emery, finished the campaign in fifth place which guaranteed them an automatic spot in the group phase of the Europa League. They finished with 60 points, 10 adrift of Sevilla for the final Champions League spot. They won 18 of their 38 league games, drawing six and losing 14, scoring a total of 63 goals and conceding 49.

Chukwueze featured in all but one of the league games, however only 20 of his 37 appearances saw him make the starting XI while the remaining 17 were off the bench. The only game he failed to play was in a 3-0 win at Leganes where he was an unused substitute.

The highly-rated Nigerian winger had a hand in a total of eight league goals (three goals, five assists). His most impactful was in a 5-1 win over Real Betis where he scored a goal and provided an assist. His other goals came in a season-opening 4-4 draw with Granada and a 3-1 loss at Celta Vigo.

Chukwueze’s other assists meanwhile were against Valladolid, Mallorca and Sociedad (both legs).

The 21-year-old has been with the Yellow Submarines since 2017, first as a youth player before making his senior debut in 2018 and has gone on to make 79 competitive apperances, scoring 12 goals and providing nine assists.