There had been an oddly low-key feel to Villarreal for much of the afternoon; it might have been obvious from all the yellow and blue paraphernalia garlanding storefronts that there was a game on, but there has not been that sense of occasion that Champions League semifinals traditionally generate. This is, after all, a very small town; you might have heard. Also, and this cannot be stressed enough, it has been raining. It has been raining a lot.
The rain is still here, but there is nothing subdued about the Éstadio de la Céramica, and especially after the early goal.