Daily Times

VILLAREAL: Barcelona fought back to secure a barnstorming 4-3 win at Villarreal on Sunday, with last year’s LaLiga top scorer Robert Lewandowski bagging the winner late in the second half. Villarreal were arguably the better side throughout the match, but a clinical Barca scored at key moments, helped by a brilliant performance from 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who created most of their opportunities, including an assist, and had two shots off the woodwork. Villarreal’s Alexander Sorloth and Alex Baena wasted golden opportunities in the first minutes and Sorloth had an effort ruled out after a VAR check showed he was marginally offside in the build-up.

Barca, however, took an early two-goal lead thanks to a perfectly placed cross by Yamal that allowed Gavi to open the scoring in the 12th minute with a close-range header and three minutes later, they doubled their advantage with a shot by Frenkie De Jong following a defensive mistake. But the hosts kept up their relentless pace and recovered with first-half goals by Juan Foyth and Alexander Sorloth, and from Alex Baena five minutes after the break. After a string of saves by Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Foyth’s bullet header from a corner in the 26th minute fired up the home crowd. Sorloth scored the equaliser from close range 14 minutes later after a fine team move involving Gerard Moreno and Alfonso Pedraza, who delivered a cross for the Norway forward to level.

Pedraza was involved in another fine build-up to Villarreal’s third in the 50th minute, powering up the left channel in a fast counter-attack and putting it on a plate for Baena to cut inside and finish with a curling shot into the top corner. However, last year’s LaLiga champions woke up with Yamal creating all types of trouble for the hosts’ defence. He almost levelled the game in the 56th minute, but his thunderous strike from the edge of the box smashed against the crossbar.

Substitute Ferran Torres struck from close range to level the match again in the 68th minute for the visitors, with Yamal striking another bullet against the woodwork, only this time the ball bounced to Lewandowski, who tapped in the rebound off the post to score his first goal of the season and give Barca a hard-fought win in a pulsating affair. It was Barca’s second win in three games this season. They are third in the LaLiga standings on seven points, level with Girona, trailing leaders Real Madrid by two points.