By Ohuakanwa Chibuzo
Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha each scored twice as Barcelona secured a dominant 5-1 victory over Villarreal on Sunday, maintaining their perfect start to La Liga. However, the win was overshadowed by a potentially serious knee injury to goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who was stretchered off during the match.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick expressed concern over Ter Stegen’s injury, telling DAZN, “It looks like a serious injury; you could see it immediately.”
Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 20th minute and doubled his tally 15 minutes later, but missed a penalty in what was an intense match at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica. Ayoze Perez pulled one back for the hosts before halftime, but Barcelona responded with goals from Pablo Torre and Raphinha to seal the win.
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Villarreal had two goals disallowed, while Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal hit the post early on. Despite Villarreal’s second-half efforts, including a disallowed goal from Nicolas Pepe, Raphinha’s late brace ensured Barcelona’s victory.
The win restored Barcelona’s four-point lead at the top of La Liga, following Real Madrid’s 4-1 win over Espanyol the previous day.
Lewandowski, reflecting on the match, said, “It doesn’t matter how we win, as long as we get the three points.”
Flick made several changes to the squad, including giving Eric Garcia a start in midfield despite his Champions League red card earlier in the week. Teenage star Yamal and reserve players Gerard Martin and Sergi Dominguez also featured.
Barcelona now face an anxious wait to learn the extent of Ter Stegen’s injury, which could impact their title ambitions despite their strong start to the season.
