Barcelona ended Aston Villa's perfect start to the Champions League with a 3-0 home win on Tuesday, Raphinha scoring twice after Lamine Yamal's early opener, in a match played without the competition anthem as a mark of respect for Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel.
Villa handed Barcelona the lead in the seventh minute. Barcelona pressed Villa extremely high, and Joao Gomes played a pass straight to Yamal inside Villa’s box. The 19-year-old winger stroked it past Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
Raphinha made it 2-0 early in the second half, taking Fermin Lopez's pass, showing quick footwork and finding the bottom corner. Joao Cancelo then set him up for the third with a cross from the outside of his boot, and the Brazil winger, playing as a number nine this season, pounced from close range for his 19th goal of the campaign across all competitions. The clean sheet was Barcelona's first in the Champions League in 19 games, and the win came after defeat to champions Paris Saint-Germain in their previous European outing, keeping the five-time winners in the hunt for a top-eight league phase berth.
Unai Emery's Villa competed well in the first half. Matty Cash had a drive deflected narrowly wide before Cancelo blocked Gomes's effort, Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia was quick off his line to beat Nicolas Jackson to a dangerous through-ball, and Suzuki saved from Anthony Gordon as Villa struggled to play out from the back. Garcia was called into action again by Johan Manzambi as the match went end to end.
De Miguel died of a cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning after an on-pitch collision in a Spanish second-division match the previous day.
Raphinha told Movistar that he wanted to dedicate the win to the fans but did not want to talk about football, and instead sent a message to the striker's family. He said: “This can happen to anyone; it’s very tough … you’re going to play a game, and the same thing can happen to you… From the club, I want to send a message of strength to the family.”
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Bayern Munich beat Atletico Madrid in Madrid with second-half goals from Lennart Karl and Konrad Laimer, PSG set a record as the fastest team to score four goals in a Champions League match on the way to a 6-0 win over Villarreal, and Manchester United came from two goals down to beat AS Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford, Matheus Cunha striking twice in quick succession after the break following protests by home supporters.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Barcelona's win lifts them back after defeat to PSG and keeps them in the race for a top-eight finish in the league phase, which carries direct progress.
- Villa's perfect start to the competition is over, and the defeat leaves Emery's side with a first European setback to absorb.
- The decision to drop the competition anthem put the death of Jesus de Miguel, and the shock it caused across football, at the centre of the night.
Background
Barcelona, five-time winners of the competition, are competing in the Champions League's league phase, the single-table format that replaced the old group stage and rewards a high finish with direct progress. Villa arrived in Catalonia having won their opening matches in the competition. Emery had previously endured a heavy defeat at Barcelona while managing PSG in 2017, a result referenced in the coverage of this match.
What to Watch
- Barcelona's remaining league phase fixtures and whether they can secure a top-eight berth.
- Villa's response in Europe after their winning run was ended at Barcelona.
- Raphinha's scoring form, with 19 goals across all competitions this season, ahead of Barcelona's next outings.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedRaphinha scored twice as Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 in the Champions League.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Raphinha struck twice to propel Barcelona to a 3-0 Champions League win over visitors Aston Villa on Tuesday”
- SupportedThe Champions League anthem was not played before the game as a mark of respect for Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The Champions League anthem was not played before the game, as a mark of respect for Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel”
- SupportedDe Miguel died of a cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning after an on-pitch collision in a match the previous day.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “who died of a cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning after an on-pitch collision in a Spanish second-division match the previous day”
- SupportedBarcelona's win ended Aston Villa's perfect start to the competition.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “ending the English side’s perfect start to the football competition”
- SupportedLamine Yamal opened the scoring before Raphinha scored twice.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Five-time winners Barcelona took an early lead through Lamine Yamal before Raphinha continued his fine goal-scoring form with a second-half brace.”
- SupportedRaphinha said he wanted to dedicate the win to the fans, did not want to talk about football, and wanted to send a message to De Miguel's family.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““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.”
- SupportedRaphinha said: “This can happen to anyone; it’s very tough … you’re going to play a game, and the same thing can happen to you… From the club, I want to send a message of strength to the family.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““This can happen to anyone; it’s very tough … you’re going to play a game, and the same thing can happen to you… “From the club, I want to send a message of strength to the family.””
- SupportedRaphinha's third goal was his 19th of the season across all competitions.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The Brazil winger, who has made the number nine position his own this season, pounced from close range for his 19th goal of the season across all competitions.”
- SupportedThe win gave Barcelona its first Champions League clean sheet in 19 games.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “the Catalan giants were able to record a first Champions League clean sheet in 19 games.”
- SupportedBarcelona bounced back from defeat to PSG in its previous European outing and remained in the hunt for a top-eight league-phase berth.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Barca bounced back after defeat to champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in their previous European outing to stay in the hunt for a top-eight league phase berth.”
- SupportedBayern Munich beat Atletico Madrid in Madrid with second-half goals from Lennart Karl and Konrad Laimer.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Bayern broke down a stubborn Atletico side in Madrid as second-half goals from Lennart Karl and Konrad Laimer secured victory”
- SupportedPSG set a record as the fastest team to score four goals in a Champions League match and beat Villarreal 6-0.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “PSG set a record as the fastest team to score four goals in a Champions League match on their way to a 6-0 victory.”