La Liga champions Barcelona suffered a 3-2 defeat at home to Villarreal, despite stunning goals from teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez. The result ensured Villarreal secured a top-five finish and a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Fresh off clinching their 28th league title with a 2-0 win over city rivals Espanyol on Thursday and celebrating with over 650,000 fans in Barcelona on Friday, Hansi Flick’s men showed no signs of a title hangover. However, they ultimately fell short in an entertaining clash at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
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Villarreal struck early through former Newcastle and Leicester City forward Ayoze Pérez, who converted a low cross from Nicolas Pépé in the fourth minute. Despite conceding first for the 20th time in all competitions this season, Barcelona responded well and took a 2-1 lead into the break.
Lamine Yamal with La Liga trophy (Photo credit: Getty Images)
Lamine Yamal continued his breakout season with a trademark strike, cutting inside onto his left foot and curling a precise low effort into the far corner for his ninth league goal of the campaign. Minutes later, after the 16-year-old rattled the crossbar with a dazzling solo move, Fermin Lopez pounced on a loose clearance and fired home a powerful half-volley from the edge of the box in first-half stoppage time.
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Villarreal equalised just five minutes into the second half when Santi Comesaña latched onto Yeremy Pino’s perfectly weighted pass and calmly chipped Marc-André ter Stegen.
Chasing a win that would guarantee them a Champions League spot, Villarreal soaked up pressure before sealing the victory late on. Substitute Tajon Buchanan converted a low cross at the far post to complete the comeback.
The fixture has developed a reputation for goals, and this latest five-goal thriller means Barcelona and Villarreal have now combined for 26 goals across their last four La Liga meetings, the highest-scoring matchup in the league since the beginning of last season.
