Barcelona defeated Aston Villa 3-0 in their latest Champions League fixture, halting the English side’s perfect start to the competition. The victory was spearheaded by 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, who opened the scoring early, and Raphinha, who added a second-half brace to solidify the result. On a summer holiday as an eight-year-old, and might have expected better weather than the downpour both teams were subjected to, villa captain John McGinn had only visited the Camp Nou once previously. The 19-year-old winger gladly took the gift and stroked past Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
The match was preceded by a somber atmosphere. In a mark of respect for Tenerife striker Jesus De Miguel, who died on Tuesday morning following an on-pitch collision in a Spanish second division match, the Champions League anthem was not played. Raphinha dedicated the victory to the player’s family, stating, “From the club, I want to send a message of strength to the family.” “Yes it was [a good win], I want to dedicate this win to the fans, but today I don’t want to talk about football, I want to send a message to the family of Jesus – may he rest in peace,” Raphinha told Movistar.
Barcelona’s breakthrough arrived in the seventh minute after an uncharacteristic error from Aston Villa. “This can happen to anyone, it’s very tough … you’re going to play a game and the same thing can happen to you….
A misplaced pass by Joao Gomes inside his own penalty area fell directly to Yamal, who calmly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
Despite the deficit, Unai Emery’s side attempted to respond, with efforts from Matty Cash and Joao Gomes, while Barca goalkeeper Joan Garcia remained active at the other end to maintain the lead. Unai Emery’s Villa competed well in the first half but were eventually undone by Barca’s greater ability in the final third. However Villa reacted strongly and Matty Cash had a vicious drive deflected narrowly wide before Joao Cancelo blocked Gomes’s effort.
The Spanish giants regained control early in the second half. Fermin Lopez provided an assist to Raphinha, whose sharp footwork allowed him to find the bottom corner of the net. Shortly after, Raphinha secured his 19th goal of the season across all competitions by converting a precise cross from Joao Cancelo, who utilized the outside of his boot to set up the finish.
While Barcelona pushed for a fourth goal, they were unable to extend their lead further. However, the victory was notable for securing the club’s first Champions League clean sheet in 19 games. The result keeps Barcelona in contention for a top-eight finish in the league phase following their previous loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
Other European fixtures on Tuesday saw heavy hitters reaffirm their status. Bayern Munich secured an away win against Atletico Madrid with second-half goals from Lennart Karl and Konrad Laimer, while Paris Saint-Germain set a new tournament record as the fastest team to reach four goals in a single match during their 6-0 rout of Villarreal. Emery, who endured one of the worst nights of his career away at Barca when helming PSG in 2017 during a 6-1 defeat, may have feared the worst.
At Old Trafford, Manchester United completed a dramatic 3-2 comeback against AS Roma. After trailing by two goals, the hosts responded in the second half with a quick brace from Matheus Cunha, a performance that followed pre-match protests by local supporters.
