At 04:00 Beijing time on December 16, the second round of the Copa del Rey, 28-year-old former Barca centre-forward Paco shot 2 shots and 1 pass, europa League champion Villarreal defeated the third division team Sanlu giono 7-1 away, and successfully advanced to the next round with 15 goals in 2 games.
Villarreal, last season's Europa League winners, returned to the Champions League after 10 years and played as seeded teams. In the Champions League group stage, they are in the same group as the youngsters of Manchester United, Atalanta and Bern. They narrowly won a round of 16 ticket with a 3-2 away win over Atalanta in the final round, and they will face Serie A giants Juventus in the 1/8 final of the Champions League.
At the Copa del Rey level, Villarreal has easily passed the pass, after their 8-0 away win over the low-level team Victoria CF in the first round, they have won 7-1 away to another low-level team, Sanlu Giono, scoring 15 goals in 2 games and advancing to the third round of the Copa del Rey 2 times. According to statistics, Villarreal is the first team in 31 years to score seven goals in two consecutive games in the Copa del Rey.
In the last round of an 8-0 win over CF Victoria, Paco was replaced after completing a pass in the first half, and in this 7-1 win over Sanlugiano, he started and played 90 minutes, contributing 2 shots and 1 pass. This is Paco's first direct involvement in three goals in a single game since his move from Dortmund to Villarreal in January 2020. He has made 12 appearances in all competitions this season, contributing 4 goals and 4 assists, including 3 goals and 2 assists in 2 Copa del Rey games.