Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both scored twice as Barcelona secured an impressive 5-1 win against Villarreal in a thrilling La Liga match on Sunday, continuing their flawless start to the season. However, the victory was overshadowed by a potentially serious knee injury to goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who had to be stretchered off the field.
Lewandowski opened the scoring with two goals, though he later missed a penalty in a fast-paced contest at Villarreal's Estadio de la Ceramica. Ayoze Perez brought Villarreal back into contention just before half-time, and the hosts had two goals disallowed, while Pablo Torre and Raphinha added goals for Barcelona to seal the win.
Real Madrid's 4-1 victory over Espanyol the day before had closed the gap at the top, but Barcelona’s win restored their four-point advantage. Coach Hansi Flick gave Eric Garcia another chance in defensive midfield despite his midweek red card in the Champions League. He also included reserve players Gerard Martin and Sergi Dominguez, with Torre stepping in for the injured Dani Olmo.
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Teen prodigy Lamine Yamal came close to scoring early on, hitting the post, before Lewandowski found the net in the 20th minute following an assist from Torre. Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Conde made a fine save against the Polish striker, but Lewandowski doubled his tally with a spectacular finish from a rebound.
Villarreal posed a threat on the counterattack, and Perez gave them hope after a brilliant setup from Nicolas Pepe. Ter Stegen made a crucial save against Pepe just before half-time, but was injured soon after and had to be replaced by Inaki Pena.
Pepe’s second-half goal was disallowed for a narrow offside, and Yeremy Pino hit the crossbar with a header as Villarreal pushed hard. Torre's deflected strike from the edge of the box crushed Villarreal’s momentum. Lewandowski missed from the penalty spot after Eric Bailly fouled Yamal, and Thierno Barry’s late goal for Villarreal was ruled out for offside.
Raphinha ended any chance of a Villarreal comeback with two late goals, the second set up by a fantastic Yamal pass. While the win keeps Barcelona’s perfect record intact, Ter Stegen’s injury could prove costly for their title challenge.
