Villarreal vs Barcelona Review
Barcelona secured a 5-1 victory against Villarreal, maintaining their unbeaten record in away La Liga matches against Villarreal since October 2007. Both teams started strong, with Yeremy Pino showcasing his team’s skill through three impressive touches before attempting to chip the ball over Marc-André ter Stegen, though the effort was rendered irrelevant by an offside call. The home side remained dangerous, prompting Ter Stegen to make crucial saves against Nicolas Pépé and Álex Baena.
Robert Lewandowski delivered the decisive moment in the 20th minute with a composed first-time finish from Pablo Torre’s through ball. Diego Conde made a fantastic save to deny Lewandowski’s next shot, but the striker scored again when Eric García’s header deflected off Conde and landed at his feet. Just three minutes later, Villarreal reduced their deficit as Pépé sprinted behind the defense and set up Ayoze Pérez for a goal. Ter Stegen then made a strong intervention to stop Pépé from equalizing before halftime, but he was injured while landing after catching the ball from a corner and was replaced by Iñaki Peña.
The second half began in a tensed fashion, with Pépé having a goal disallowed for offside and unleashing a powerful shot that was tipped over, while Pino hit the crossbar with a header. After coming so close, Villarreal conceded again just before the hour mark when Torre’s shot from the edge of the box deflected off Logan Costa into the bottom corner, marking Torre’s last involvement in the match. Shortly after, Eric Bailly fouled Yamal, giving away a penalty, but Lewandowski’s attempt hit the post, providing a reprieve for Marcelino’s team. Barcelona also escaped a scare when Thierno Barry scored, but it was ruled offside.
Raphinha contributed to his team’s success by taking a shot that deflected off Bailly and went past Conde. Eight minutes later, he scored again with a beautiful pass from Yamal, adding to the team’s performance as Barcelona bounced back from a disappointing loss in the Champions League. This victory allowed them to maintain their flawless start in La Liga, keeping them at the top of the standings. Additionally, the Blaugrana handed Villarreal their first loss in 10 league games.