Champions League: Villarreal Defeat Bayern Munich To Raise Upset Hopes

Villarreal inflicted a shock 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday as Arnaut Danjuma's strike boosted the Spanish team's hopes of causing a huge upset in the Champions League quarter-finals. Danjuma diverted in Dani Parejo's shot in the eighth minute at La Ceramica to seal a surprise win, with Bayern perhaps even fortunate not to be further behind going into the second leg in Germany next week. Gerard Moreno hit the post and then curled a long-range effort agonisingly wide after Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer had skewed a clearance, briefly leaving his own net gaping.

"We produced a tremendous performance and to be honest we should have won by more," said Villarreal's Giovani Lo Celso.

"We were much better than Bayern tonight," said Dani Parejo. "We've beaten one of the best teams in the world."

Julian Nagelsmann's six-time European champions will still be heavy favourites to overturn the deficit at the Allianz Arena but Villarreal showed again they are not to be underestimated, having already sent Juventus crashing out in the last 16.

"It's a deserved defeat, we weren't good," admitted Nagelsmann. "In the first half we had too little power, we didn't create chances and we gave up control."

Unai Emery's side were seen as one of the kindest opponents available in the draw last month, with perhaps only Benfica placed lower than them in the quarter-finals pecking order.

Bayern, nine points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, up against a Villarreal side who sit seventh in La Liga, 12 points off the top four and into the last eight of the Champions League for the first time since 2009.

Yet Emery's side have a knack for rising to the occasion, having gone unbeaten in four league games against Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid