Galisteo's hat-trick exposes the emptiness of Athletico's passing

Possession is a fine thing to have. It is not a substitute for a centre-forward, and at Villarreal Stadium on 23 September, Athletico Madrid learned that lesson in the hardest way. They had the ball for most of the afternoon. They completed 530 passes to Villarreal's 335. They ended the match with seven shots and not one of them on target. Villarreal had nine shots, seven on target, and scored five times.

Sergio Galisteo was at the heart of it. Three goals from four shots, three on target, a rating of 9.6 and the match ball. He is 25, Spanish, and in his tenth season as a professional; Villarreal are the second club of his career. He does not need a national-team cap to make his point. On this evidence, someone at the federation should be picking up the phone.

He was not alone. Francesco Meazzini, a free-transfer signing from Perugia who had started only three times before this, delivered two assists from the left and was withdrawn on 79 minutes with the job long done. Antonio produced two assists and four key passes. Diego Di Fazio won eleven tackles. Xabi Fàbregas, one of the squad's best-known players, watched the whole thing from the bench as an unused substitute.

Athletico's afternoon curdled. Mario Cardozo was replaced at half-time. Patrice Herrmann, who spent seven seasons at Villarreal and won nothing there, was booked on 72 minutes, and the old boy did not enjoy his return. Alan Kardec and Jorge López also went into Diego Barbeito's book as frustration took hold. By the end, the visitors had committed 19 fouls to Villarreal's ten.

Ulises Garay, another former Athletico man, came on for the closing minutes. The crowd enjoyed that too.

A 5-0 win built on 39% of the ball is not lucky. It is ruthless, and Villarreal have found a striker who makes ruthlessness look simple.