Raphinha scored twice as Barcelona beat visiting Aston Villa 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, ending the English side’s perfect start to the competition. Lamine Yamal gave the five-time winners an early lead, and Raphinha added a second-half double to keep his strong goalscoring run going.
The result lifted Barcelona back up after their defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in their previous European match. It keeps them in contention for a place in the top eight of the league phase.
Villa gifted an early goal at Camp Nou
Villa manager Unai Emery’s side competed well in the first half, but Barcelona’s superior quality in the final third proved decisive. Before kick-off, the Champions League anthem was not played as a mark of respect for Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel. He died of a cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning, a day after an on-pitch collision in a Spanish second-division match, a death that shocked the football world.
Villa had planned a composed start but gave the ball away in the seventh minute. Joao Gomes played a poor pass straight to Yamal inside his own box, and the 19-year-old winger finished past goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. Emery, who had endured one of the worst nights of his career when his PSG side lost 6-1 at Barcelona in 2017, will have been alarmed by the start.
Villa responded strongly. Matty Cash drove a shot that was deflected narrowly wide, and Joao Cancelo blocked a effort from Gomes. Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia came off his line quickly to deny Nicolas Jackson a dangerous through-ball, and later he was called into action again by Johan Manzambi as the match swung from end to end.
Raphinha doubles up and Barcelona keep a clean sheet
Barcelona doubled their lead early in the second half. Fermin Lopez found Raphinha, who showed quick footwork before finding the bottom corner. Cancelo then sent a strike narrowly over the bar before producing a superb cross with the outside of his boot, which Raphinha buried from close range for Barcelona’s third.
The Brazilian winger, who has made the number nine role his own this season, scored his 19th goal of the campaign across all competitions. Yamal sent a shot skidding wide as Barcelona pushed for a fourth, but it did not come. Even so, the Catalan club recorded their first Champions League clean sheet in 19 games.
After the match, Raphinha dedicated the win to the fans. He said he did not want to talk about football that day and wished to send a message to the family of Jesus de Miguel. In televised comments, he said the tragedy could happen to anyone, and he added that the club wanted to send a message of strength to the family.
Other Champions League results on Tuesday
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Bayern Munich and PSG strengthened their claims to the title with wins over Atletico Madrid and Villarreal. Bayern broke down a stubborn Atletico side in Madrid, with second-half goals from Lennart Karl and Konrad Laimer securing the victory. PSG set a record as the fastest team to score four goals in a Champions League match on their way to a 6-0 win.
At Old Trafford, Manchester United came from two goals down to beat AS Roma 3-2. Matheus Cunha struck twice in quick succession after the break to complete the comeback, which followed protests by home supporters.
