Barcelona secured a decisive 5-1 victory against Villarreal on Sunday, maintaining their perfect start in La Liga.
Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha each scored twice, contributing to the team’s sixth consecutive league win. However, the match was overshadowed by a potentially serious knee injury to goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who left the field on a stretcher.
“I think it will be a huge injury; when he laid down on the field … you can see it directly,” said Barcelona coach Hansi Flick in an interview with DAZN.
Lewandowski opened the scoring with two goals before missing a penalty during an exciting clash at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica. Ayoze Perez managed to score for Villarreal shortly before halftime, bringing the hosts back into the contest. Barcelona had two goals disallowed, but Pablo Torre and Raphinha’s efforts solidified the victory.
After second-placed Real Madrid’s 4-1 win over Espanyol on Saturday, Barcelona was able to maintain a four-point lead over their rivals.
“It’s very important for us that we played a game away from home, we scored five goals, and in the end, we have three points,” Lewandowski commented. “In the end, it doesn’t matter how, as long as we win, that’s perfect.”
Despite an early red card in the Champions League against Monaco, Flick started Eric Garcia in defensive midfield. He also included reserve players Gerard Martin and Sergi Dominguez, along with playmaker Torre, who replaced the injured Dani Olmo.
Teenage talent Lamine Yamal came close to scoring early but hit the post before Lewandowski netted his first goal in the 20th minute, assisted by Torre. Villarreal’s goalkeeper Diego Conde managed to block Lewandowski’s initial effort but couldn’t stop the rebound shortly after, giving the Polish striker his second goal at the 35-minute mark.
This win brought Lewandowski’s La Liga tally to six goals, placing him two ahead of Kylian Mbappe in the race for Spain’s golden boot.
Villarreal, frequently dangerous on counterattacks, found a glimmer of hope when Perez scored, set up by Nicolas Pepe. Ter Stegen made a spectacular one-on-one save against Pepe but fell awkwardly while attempting to catch a corner kick before halftime, leading to his replacement by Inaki Pena.
Pepe had a goal disallowed for a narrow offside early in the second half, and Yeremy Pino nearly leveled the score with a header that hit the bar. However, Torre extended Barcelona’s lead with a deflected shot from the edge of the box, dampening Villarreal’s momentum.
Lewandowski missed a penalty after Eric Bailly fouled Yamal, and Villarreal’s Thierno Barry had a goal ruled out for offside. Raphinha then sealed the win, scoring first with a deflected shot and later finishing off a pass from Yamal.
Despite the comprehensive victory and a flawless start to the season, the potential severity of Ter Stegen’s injury poses a significant concern for Barcelona’s title ambitions.
