Barcelona continued their strong start to La Liga with a commanding 5-1 victory over Villarreal at Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday. Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha each scored two goals in a match that saw Barcelona maintain their perfect league record.
The win marked Barcelona's sixth consecutive league triumph, though it 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 about the injury, stating, "I think it will be a huge injury, when he laid down on the field ... you can see it directly."
Lewandowski opened the scoring with two goals, though he also missed a penalty. Ayoze Perez managed to pull one back for Villarreal shortly before halftime, but the hosts had two goals disallowed. Barcelona solidified their lead with goals from Pablo Torre and Raphinha, ensuring the victory.
With second-placed Real Madrid defeating Espanyol 4-1 on Saturday, Barcelona restored a four-point advantage over their rivals. Lewandowski commented, "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. In the end, it doesn't matter how, as long as we win that's perfect."
Flick started Eric Garcia in defensive midfield despite his early red card against Monaco in the Champions League midweek. Reserve team players Gerard Martin and Sergi Dominguez also featured, along with Torre, who replaced the injured Dani Olmo.
Lamine Yamal nearly scored early on, hitting the post, before Lewandowski netted his first goal in the 20th minute, following a pass from Torre. He struck again in the 35th minute, converting a rebound after his header was initially saved.
Villarreal posed threats on the counter, and Perez capitalized on a setup from Nicolas Pepe to score. Ter Stegen made a remarkable save against Pepe just before halftime but fell awkwardly while catching a corner, leading to his replacement by Inaki Pena.
In the second half, Pepe's potential goal was disallowed for offside, and Yeremy Pino came close with a header that hit the bar. Torre's deflected strike extended Barcelona's lead, and despite Lewandowski missing a penalty, Raphinha secured the win with two late goals.
Despite the emphatic scoreline, Ter Stegen's injury could significantly impact Barcelona's title aspirations if it proves to be serious.
