What happened last week in Monaco in the Champions League was a mix of circumstances—if not pure coincidence—a red card and some unfortunate events. But tonight at the Estadio de la Cerámica, this was the real Barcelona, Flick’s finely tuned machine set on dethroning Real Madrid. And if they keep playing like this, they will do just that. Until tonight, Villarreal had been unbeaten, one of the positive surprises in Spain—primarily due to their style of play—but against an opponent like this, they had no chance (1-5).Villareal 0-1 Barcelona l Lewandowski pic.twitter.com/R2DZM2Sy9g— Fussballfc (@Fussball_fc) September 22, 2024 Villareal – Barcelona l Lewandowski #VILBAR pic.twitter.com/6ATbnyajv5— Fussballfc (@Fussball_fc) September 22, 2024 The Yellow Submarine started aggressively, even boldly, riding the wave of their excellent start to the season. On several occasions, Marc-André ter Stegen had to make crucial saves to keep them in the game. Villarreal went into halftime with a manageable 1-2 scoreline, but in the second half, they had to surrender to their powerful rival. Even the unsettling injury to the German goalkeeper at the end of the first half didn’t throw Barça off their game. After a jump, Ter Stegen injured his knee and immediately started screaming in pain. The reaction of the players around him made it clear that the injury was severe. Ter Stegen was soon stretchered off the field in tears and was quickly transported to the hospital.Villareal 1-3 Barcelona l Torre #VILBAR pic.twitter.com/8cAL5wBsvG— Fussballfc (@Fussball_fc) September 22, 2024 Villareal 1-4 Barcelona l Raphinha#VILBAR pic.twitter.com/p9H1vVmRCW— Fussballfc (@Fussball_fc) September 22, 2024 It’s never easy to continue after scenes like that, but Hansi Flick clearly managed to refocus his players, urging them to play for their injured teammate—and they did just that. The match was practically decided in the 58th minute, when Pablo Torre scored an unstoppable shot off a pass from Pedri. Soon after, Robert Lewandowski missed a penalty, but even that didn’t throw the visitors off their rhythm. A rejuvenated captain, Raphinha, then scored twice, sealing this brilliant performance from Barcelona. The final goal was particularly spectacular, with a stunning outside-of-the-foot pass from Lamine Yamal. It was one of those assists that the crowd appreciates almost as much as the goal itself…Barcelona maintained their perfect record in the league, now sitting at 18 points—four ahead of Real Madrid and seven ahead of Atlético (with a game in hand). Hansi Flick’s team now enters a lighter stretch of games, facing Getafe, Osasuna, Young Boys in the Champions League, and Alavés. After that, they will face Bayern Munich, followed by the first El Clásico of the season…LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 7FridayAlaves – Sevilla 2-0 (1-0)/Vicente 17, Martin 60/SaturdayValladolid – Sociedad 0-0Osasuna – Las Palmas 2-1 (1-1)/Budimir 39 pen, Oroz 60 – Moleiro 41/Valencia – Girona 2-0 (2-0)/Rioja 56, Gomez 58/Real Madrid – Espanyol 4-1 (0-0)/Carvajal 58, Rodrygo 75, Vinicius Jr 78, Mbappe 90 pen – Courtois 54 og/SundayGetafe – Leganes 1-1 (0-0)/Mayoral 83 pen – Saenz 76/Ath.Bilbao – Celta 3-1 (2-1)/Guruzeta 4, 39, Djalo 80 – Aspas 25 pen/Villareal – Barcelona 1-5 (1-2)/Perez 38 – Lewandowski 20, 35, Torre 58, Raphinha 74, 83/22:00: (4.90) Rayo Vallecano (3.60) Atl.Madrid (1.85)Monday22:00 (1.90) Betis (3.50) Mallorca (4.70)***odds are subject to change***
