It was a thrilling encounter between Villarreal and the Blaugrana giants.
After going two goals ahead in the first 15 minutes with goals from Gavi who was assisted by the young & shining talent Lamine Yamal who is only 16 years, and a beautiful goal from Frenkie De Jong, the yellow submarines woke up from their slumber and gave a quick response to that by equalizing just before the whistle for half time.
Juan Foyth header in the 26th minute of the game from a corner kick gingered the yellow submarines as they pushed for a second goal through Alexander Sørloth as he caught the Barcelona defense lacking. Barcelona found themselves trailing behind 3-2 within 5 minutes of the start of second half as Sergio Roberto was no where to be found in his position as Alejandro Baena made no mistake in finishing the pass from Alfonso Pedraza from close range.
The La Liga champions showed why they deserve to be called champions as substitute Ferran Torres stepped up once again to make the tie leveled 3-3 in the 68th minute. Lewandowski made it 4-3 for the Blaugrana as Lamine Yamal saw his shot hit the woodwork and Lewandowski had to slot into an empty net. Barcelona could have made it 5-3 as Barcelona had a counter attack in which Ansu Fati decided to get a goal himself but saw his efforts saved by Filip Jorgensen. Lewandowski also found himself in a one on one situation only to place the ball on the onrushing goalkeeper and saw his efforts being saved.
Lamine Yamal was a serious threat to the yellow submarine defense as he saw two of his shot hit the woodwork. He became the youngest Barcelona player to provide an assist in an official game (16 years old), a record previously held by Ansu Fati.
It was a beautiful and glaring second half filled with a rollercoaster of shifting emotions from both teams. At a point Villarreal had it but Barcelona kept fighting and pushing for the win. That just teaches us to never celebrate a victory until you hear the final whistle. This would be the 21st encounter with the Yellow Submarines as Barcelona have come out victorious 17 times, drawing 3 & losing just once.
Barcelona defense was shaking in todays game and it’s something Xavi will have to work on if they want to dream of any silverware both in the league or in the Champions League. This victory leaves Barcelona 3rd (7 points) in the league standing, two points away from first position Real Madrid who have won all of their games this season.
PLAYERS RATING
1. Marc ANDRÉ TER STEGEN 7/10
He was instrumental in today’s game & kept Barcelona in the game. But conceding three goals says a lot about his backline.
2. KOUNDE 7/10
He was caught lacking in the first half but he put out a decent performance only to be let down by his right back partner with a slow pace(Sergio Roberto). His paring with Christensen seems decent but would prefer to see his paring with Araujo more.
3. ANDREAS CHRISTENSEN 6.8/10
It seems he had some difficulties thus his early substitutions immediately the second half begin. He struggled a lot today but still put up a decent performance.
4. SERGIO ROBERTO 6/10
He was lacking found lacking in pace & in his position. As the team’s s captain, he should be an example for everyone to learn from. Two of Villarreal goals came from his wing. If Barcelona want to dream of a silverware, they should get a proper right back because they can’t depend on the Barcelona veteran Sergio Roberto veteran. He had a poor first half performance.
5. MARCOS ALONSO 7.3/10
Despite his poor first half performance he actually did his best in the second half. Despite seeing links for him to Manchester United Barcelona can cashout on him and depend only on Alejandro Balde but there are a lot of games to play, so Marcos Alonso as backup to Balde is a decent option at the moment seeing Barcelona difficult struggles in terms of finances.
6. FRENKIE DE JONG 8.8/10
Frenkie De Jong had an outstanding performance in the first half. Seeing him drive forward with the ball creating clear cut chances and having a goal to his name today was lovely. The 4 man midfield works in his favor because it unleashes his full ability up front and in front of goal. A man of the match worthy performance.
7. ORIOL ROMEU 7.3/10
Oriol Romeu as a single pivot suffered a lot today because seeing Frenkie De Jong pushing up front and Gundogan not helping out in the defense, Oriol had to handle everything in the midfield tracking back and supporting the defenders. A decent performance from him.
8. GUNDOGAN 7.5/10
Gundogan was quiet in today’s game but we could see him controlling the rhythm of the play and calming the game tempo. He hardly lost the ball which is something we love to see in a Barcelona player. Holding possession of the ball & giving a decent pass leading to goal. Take the ball, hold, and release the ball while your team finds themselves in space to receive. A good game from him. A great steal from Man City.
9. GAVI 7.5/10
Despite scoring the opener through Lamine Yamal cross, Gavi headed home from close range in the 12th minute. He is as relentless as a fox and always pressing high up to force the opponent into making mistakes.
10. LAMIN YAMAL 8.5/10
Lamine Yamal put out a scintillating performance that saw the Villarreal fans giving him a standing ovation while clapping for him as he was subbed out in 76th minute for Barcelona Number 10, Ansu Fati. Lamine Yamal providing the assist for the first goal, showing great skills and dribble as well as hitting the woodwork twice. He showed us why Xavi trusts him and why he is starting ahead of other veterans in that position. A beautiful performance from him earned him the Man of the match award. A great talent. A star is born.
11. LEWANDOWSKI 6.9/10
Lewandowski was par average today. He was lacking in the first todays game despite scoring the rebound on Lamine Yamal shot that hits the woodwork, he saw his one on one chance saved by Jorgensen when he could have easily squared it for Ansu Fati to slot in easily. He needs to step up if he wants Barcelona to count on him. Or is she finally telling on him?
12. FERRAN TORRES 8.3/10
This could be Ferran Torres redemption season. He is currently on a hot form at this moment. After replacing Oriol Romeu in the 63rd minute, Ferran equalized five minutes later to make the score line 3-3. He has been proving his worth since preseason and he is repaying the faith Xavi puts in him. A good performance as a substitute.
13. ANSU FATI 6/10
Not a great performance from Fati as he saw his only chanced on a counter attack saved by the submarine’s goalkeeper. Ansu Fati needs to learn how to put the team first in ever situation. He could have easily laid a pass for Lewandowski, but he decided to take a shot at goal but got saved. His problem isn’t about fitness anymore but his mentality. He needs to work on his mentality right now
14. ERIC GARCIA 6.5/10
Not a bad performance but also not a great performance from him. Just like Ferran, Eric Garcia needs to show the fans why Xavi trusts him and puts faith in him.
15. FERMIN LOPEZ 6.5/10
Subbed on as a replacement for Ikay Gundogan & had just 11 minutes of game time. A good lad with so much to achieve.
What do you think of this rating?
Who was your best player in todays came?
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