Villarreal wrapped up the 2025-26 La Liga campaign in emphatic style, earning a commanding 5-1 victory over Atletico Madrid at La Ceramica in the final match under head coach Marcelino Garcia Toral’s second stint in charge.

Atletico Madrid started the match strongly and looked the more threatening side during the opening 30 minutes. However, the visitors fell behind right on the half-hour mark when Dani Parejo converted a penalty on his farewell appearance for Villarreal after Nicolas Pepe was fouled by Juan Musso. Just four minutes later, Ayoze Perez doubled the advantage for the home team, finishing from close range for only his second goal in his last 18 outings.

On 40 minutes, Villarreal extended their lead to 3-0 with a swift counter-attack. Pepe provided the assist for Georges Mikautadze, who netted his 15th goal of the season (13 in La Liga) in his debut campaign for the Yellow Submarine.

The first half continued to deliver goals. Atletico managed to pull one back when a header from an Antoine Griezmann corner found the net, but Villarreal quickly restored their three-goal cushion as Pape Gueye struck from the edge of the box to make it 4-1 before the break.

Ayoze Perez completed his brace in the 54th minute to make it 5-1, effectively ending any hopes of a comeback for Atletico Madrid. From that point on, Villarreal controlled proceedings comfortably, and the home crowd gave Parejo an emotional send-off when he was substituted for the last time as a Villarreal player.

With the season now concluded, both sides will shift focus to the summer ahead. Villarreal are expected to confirm Rayo Vallecano boss Inigo Perez as Marcelino’s replacement, while Atletico Madrid are preparing for another major transfer window, which could hinge on the potential departure of star forward Julian Alvarez.