Barcelona were edged out by their opponents in a nail-biting La Liga game.
Villarreal defeated Barcelona 5-3 in their La Liga game on Saturday. The Catalans almost completed a second-half comeback before Villarreal bounced back with a devastating string of late goals.
What happened?
Villarreal’s solid start to the game didn’t translate into snatching an early opener. Barcelona, on the other hand, forced Filip Jorgensen into making two massive saves but couldn’t find the back of the net before the break.
Villarreal’s 41st-minute striker through Gerrard Moreno gave them the lead as they went into the second half being 1-0 ahead.
Barcelona pushed for a quick equalizer after half-time but it was Villarreal who stunned their opponents with a second goal in the 54th minute. This time, Ilias Akhomach capitalized on a shocking blunder from Joao Cancelo to double his side’s lead.
Only six minutes later, Ilkay Gundogan got Barcelona back into the game with a brilliant low shot from inside the box. The Catalans then made it 2-2 through Pedri’s goal in the 68th minute.
Barca used their momentum to complete their comeback when Eric Bailly’s own goal put them ahead just three minutes later. But Villarreal were still far from accepting the defeat.
The final ten minutes of the game turned into a nightmare for Barcelona as their defensive integrity completely collapsed under Villarreal’s pressure.
First, Goncalo Guedes made it 3-3 by converting a precise assist from Alexander Sørloth. Barcelona then went all-in with their attacks to restore their lead after the 90-minute mark. But that only resulted in more opportunities for the visitors.
Sorloth completed his incredible performance by scoring his side’s fourth goal before Jose Luis Morales put the icing on the cake for Villarreal by making it 5-3 in the 102nd minute.
Barcelona vs Villarreal: Man of the Match
Ilkay Gundogan deserves the Man of the Match title despite Barcelona’s crushing defeat. The German midfielder scored and provided an assist while constantly organizing Barca’s attacks through his accurate progressive passes.
Player Ratings
Barcelona: Pena (4), Kounde (6), Araujo (4), Christensen (6), Fort (5), Romeu (6), De Jong (6), Gundogan (9), Lewandowski (5), Felix (6), Yamal (8).
Bench: Cancelo (4), Cubarsi (5), Pedri (7), Torres (5), Roque (6).
Villarreal: Jorgensen (7), Femenia (5), Bailly (5), Cuenca (7), A. Moreno (5), Coquelin (6), Comesana (7), Akhomach (7), Baena (5), Sorloth (9), G. Moreno (8).
Bench: Guedes (7), Mandi (5), Capoue (7), Mosquera (6), Morales (7).
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