Villarreal striker Dani Parejo has accused Bayern Munich coach Julian Naglesmann of being disrespectful following his side's historic Champions League win over the Bundesliga giants.
The Yellow Submarine drew 1-1 at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday but won the quarter-final tie 2-1 on aggregate to cause another huge upset against the Bavarians. Samuel Chukwueze canceled out Robert Lewandowski's second-half strike with just under two minutes of normal time remaining.
Having already beaten Juventus in the round of 16, the Spanish outfit dumped Bayern out of the competition to reach their first semi-final in the competition in 16 years.
Parejo, who assisted Arnaut Danjuma's winner in the first leg, hit back at Naglesmann for a 'lack of respect' for his team. After the game, he told Spanish news outlet Diario AS:
"When the draw was made and they got Villarreal, their coach, whom I don't know, disrespected not only Villarreal but also football by saying he wanted to settle the tie in the first leg. It was a lack of respect towards us. Sometimes when you spit up, it falls on your face."
Parejo felt the German coach took the Yellow Submarine lightly and hence thought the Bavarians could seal the tie in the first leg.
However, Naglesmann's comments may have been alluding to Bayern's struggles away to RB Salzburg in the last round, which left them needing a big performance at home. The Bundesliga giants were trailing for over an hour in Salzburg last month before Kingsley Coman popped up with a 90th-minute equalizer.
Despite dominating stats, Naglesmann's side failed to kill the contest but responded with a 7-1 drubbing of the Austrian outfit in the return leg.
Villarreal dreaming of Champions League a year after Europa League glory
Villarreal have been on a giant-killing mission since last year. The Spanish side beat Arsenal and Manchester United en route to lifting the Europa League trophy, their first in history last season.
Now, after defeating Juventus and Bayern, can the Yellow Submarine win their maiden Champions League title?
The side is certainly taking it one game at a time while manager Unai Emery has proven his tactical brilliance at every step. Another tough match against Liverpool could potentially await them. However, the La Liga giants don't appear to be afraid of facing the big teams in the competition.