- Defending La Liga champions FC Barcelona beat Villarreal 4-3 in an all-action encounter played on Sunday at Estadio de la Ceramica
- Villarreal have now triumphed in just one of the last 29 La Liga H2H
Defending La Liga champions FC Barcelona beat Villarreal 4-3 in an all-action encounter played on Sunday at Estadio de la Ceramica.
Villarreal pulled a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 after 50 minutes of play. However, they couldn’t protect their lead as Barca fought back to secure a 4-3 win. Robert Lewandowski‘s goal sealed the victory for the Catalans after Ferran Torres had equalized.
Robert Lewandowski scored the winning goal for Barca. Photo/ TNT Sports.
Villarreal have now triumphed in just one of the last 29 La Liga H2H. They are placed 13th on the table with three points in three games.
Meanwhile, FC Barcelona are third with seven points, behind Real Madrid (9) and Girona (7). Real Madrid are the only side who have won their first three La Liga matches this season.
Speaking after Sunday’s victory over Villarreal, FC Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez described the match as chaotic.
“The match was chaotic due to our own faults. We had control of the match. We conceded too much. Then, the team played calmly, confidently, and created opportunities. I believe the score is too narrow. We deserved to score a couple or three more goals. A good attacking game, but defensively we conceded too much. I’m proud of what I saw, especially in the second half.” Tribal Football quotes Xavi Hernandez.
How Barcelona Beat Villarreal
Barcelona had a slow start and Villarreal looked more dominant at the start of the match. The Catalans were lucky to escape punishment as Alexander Sorloth’s goal was ruled out for offside.
Villarreal had another chance to open the scoring but Alex Baena shot wide from 12 yards out. Barca then found their way into the game and took control a short while.
Xavi Hernandez’s side took the lead in the 12 minute, thanks to Pablo Gavi’s fantastic header. Lamine Yamal, who recently became Barcelona’s youngest player to feature in a La Liga starting eleven, provided the assist to Gavi’s goal. At 16 years and 45 days, Yamal became the youngest player to assist a goal in a La Liga match in the 21st century.
Three minutes after Barca scored the first goal of the evening, Frenkie de Jong’s superb strike gave the visitors a commanding lead. When it seemed like it was over for the hosts, Juan Foyth headed home to pull one back in the 26th minute.
Barcelona beat Villarreal 4-3 on Sunday. Photo/ San Diego Union-Tribune.
Alexander Sorloth then rounded a beautiful team goal from yards out to level the scores a few minutes before the break. With the momentum firmly on their side, the Yellow Submarine took a 3-2 lead in the 5oth minute, thanks to Alex Baena.
Barcelona responded well to the set back with Ferran Torres smashing home after his initial effort was blocked. Robert Lewandowski’s superb finish from close range helped Barca turn the game around in the 71st minute. The Catalans held on to their narrow lead until the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the match.
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