A thrilling game saw the Catalans edge out Villarreal at El Madrigal.
Barcelona defeated Villarreal 4-3 in their La Liga game on Sunday. Robert Lewandowski scored a match-winner for the Catalans in a seven-goal thriller.
Back-to-back comebacks!
Barcelona started the game by pushing for an early opener and managed to make it 1-0 through Gavi in the 12th minute. Only three minutes later, Frenkie de Jong scored Barca’s second goal of the night with a precise shot inside the box.
It looked as if Barca was up for an easy win, but a goal from Juan Foyth brought Villarreal back into the game in the 26th minute. The hosts managed to get control of the game, finally finding the equalizer through Alexander Sorloth before the break.
Barcelona went on the offensive again as soon as the second period started. However, it was the hosts who completed their sensational comeback through Alex Baena.
The goal forced Barca to push forward for an equalizer, with Villarreal creating chances on the counter-attack. Ferran Torres, who replaced Oriol Romeu in the 63rd minute, made it 3-3 only five minutes after coming in.
Quique Setien made three substitutions as Villarreal hoped to at least hold onto the home draw. However, the hosts finally crumbled under Barca’s relentless pressure when Robert Lewandowski scored the match-winner for the Catalans in the 71st minute.
Villarreal pushed hard to get back into the game in the final ten minutes, but Barca snatched the victory by maintaining their one-goal lead.
Villarreal vs Barcelona: Man of the Match
Lamine Yamal was simply phenomenal throughout the game, maintaining constant pressure from the right flank. The 16-year-old didn’t score his senior debut, but his well-timed runs and brilliant passes should be enough for Xavi to count on him as a potential starter this season.
Player Ratings
Villarreal: Jorgensen (7); Foyth (7), Gabbia (6), Cuenca (7), Pedraza (7); Parejo (6), Capoue (6), Terrats (5); G. Moreno (7), Sorloth (7), Baena (8).
Bench: D. Suarez (6), Comesana (5), Akhomach (5), Morales (6), Diaz (6).
Barcelona: Ter Stegen (6); S. Roberto (5), Koundé (6), Christensen (5), Alonso (7); O. Romeu (6), De Jong (8), Gavi (7), Gündogan (7); Lewandowski (7), Yamal (8).
Bench: Garcia (6), Torres (8), Fati (5), Lopez (6).
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