Barcelona recorded a 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Camp Nou on Tuesday, ending the Premier League side’s perfect start in this season’s UEFA Champions League and moving Barça level with Villa on nine points in the group, according to the report.
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the seventh minute after capitalising on a João Gomes error, a strike that moved the teenager past Kylian Mbappé as the competition’s highest-scoring teenager with 14 goals, according to the report.
Raphinha then sealed the victory with a second-half brace. His first, in the 52nd minute, took a deflection past goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, while his second was a poacher’s finish from a João Cancelo cross. The goals took Raphinha to 19 goals for the season in 13 appearances and to 23 Champions League goals for Barcelona — level with Robert Lewandowski and behind only Lionel Messi (120) and Luis Suárez (25), according to the report.
The scoring duo have been prolific this term, combining for 32 of Barcelona’s 60 goals in 15 matches — an average of exactly four goals per game. Barça threatened throughout the match, with Fermín López and Yamal coming close to adding to the tally and Suzuki making a save from Fermín. Villa also created chances for Matty Cash, João Gomes and Johan Manzambi, according to the report.
The victory continued Barcelona’s recovery after consecutive defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid; a 6-1 win over Alavés on Saturday had helped restore confidence ahead of the Villa meeting and sets Hansi Flick’s side up for Sunday’s LaLiga clash with Atlético Madrid. The match also marked an unhappy return to Camp Nou for Unai Emery, whose teams have won once in 15 previous matches at the ground across his 24-year managerial career, and who celebrated his 55th birthday on the day, according to the report.
