Villarreal was a slight favorite coming into the start of the UEFA Europa League knockout round against Red Bull Salzburg. Even though the Austrian side showed glimpses of talent during the group stage, the Spanish side was expected to get the lead in the opener of this exciting tie.

And even though Villarreal struggled at times, El Submarino managed to get things done and sent their fans into raptures with a 2-1 win that puts them on the lead heading into the second leg.

The match started out quite complicated for Marcelino's team. Even though their attacking line looked dangerous - especially Cheryshev who was a constant threat on the left side of the pitch - they had some troubles on their defensive end. Red Bull Salzburg had a clear scoring chance midway into the first half but Sergio Asenjo was spectacular to parry the ball.

Villarreal re-grouped as the game advanced and they managed to break the deadlock near the 30th minute mark. Luciano Vietto had a great scoring opportunity inside the box but Gulacsi pushed the ball away. However, Nigerian forward Ikechukwu Uche was there to pounce on the rebound and his shot went into the back of the net to give the Spaniards the lead. The first half ended 1-0 but it seemed as if Red Bull had enough in them to force the draw in the second half.

Needless to say that was exactly what happened. Victor Ruiz brought down Djuricin inside the box after only two minutes into the second half and Jonathan Soriano scored from the spot to equalize. However, Villarreal didn't stop trying and they continued to move the lines forward particularly thanks to Cheryshev and Vietto.

The two forwards combined to orchestrate what would be the second goal for Villarreal. The Russian winger played a beautiful one-two with the Argentinean striker and the former Real Madrid prospect blasted a beautiful one-timer from the edge of the box to place the ball far from Gulacsi's reach. Villarreal scored its second goal and that changed the way the game was played.

Red Bull appeared to look lost after they conceded the second goal even though they made three attacking chances in the final 30 minutes. Villarreal, on the other hand, continued to push forward and the entrances of Giovani dos Santos and Joel Campbell gave the team a bit more pace in the final third. In the end, the Spaniards managed to hold on to the lead and now they have a 2-1 lead thanks to a solid performance on both ends of the pitch - particularly in the second half.

The second leg will be played next Thursday and Red Bull will host the game at the Red Bull Arena. Even though the Austrian side only needs a 1-0 win to advance to the next round, Villarreal already showed they mean business in their quest to reach the final stages of the UEFA Europa League.