EDU CHOVA
Updated Saturday, January 27, 2024-20:53
22nd day Classification in First
In two weeks, Barcelona has said goodbye to the Super Cup, the Copa del Rey and practically also the league after the defeat against Villarreal in a schizophrenic match that leaves them 10 points behind the lead.
Xavi
's team
was able to overcome a 0-2 deficit against a Villarreal team that knew how to play its tricks during the first hour and took advantage of the Barça concessions in defense to tie first and finish off their rival in stoppage time.
[Narrative and statistics (3-5)]
The match had everything, including the usual dose of controversy.
Munuera
annulled a goal against Villarreal midway through the first half due to an offside that would later be confirmed by the VAR.
Gerard
had caught a ball in the area, after a struggle between
Kounde and Álex Baena
that ended with the Frenchman on the ground claiming a foul, and he shot
Peña
from the small area. However, the assistant interpreted that
Sorloth
, in an advanced position, had hindered
Araujo
.
The score did not move but the play was like a turning point in a duel to which Xavi's team had entered on the right foot and giving the sensation of having recovered from the setback at San Mamés. Barça took advantage of
Yamal
's audacity to find the goal. The youth player created the first chance after running to the baseline and giving way behind for
Gundogan 's shot, which
Jorge Cuenca
blocked with his foot
.
Joan MonfortAP
The Barça team put pressure on a Villarreal team whose absence of
Parejo
made it a little more difficult to get the ball out.
Marcelino
's men
joined lines when defending and tried to get out quickly when they recovered, looking for that buoy in attack that is Sorloth to generate second plays from the Norwegian's volleys. They were also looking for
Akhomach
's interns
on the wing, where Xavi had placed the young
Héctor Font
to cover the loss of the operated
Balde
.
As the Castellón team adjusted, it was more difficult for Barcelona to create danger, although they had a good chance on a shot by
Joao Felix that Jörgensen saved
with a good hand. In any case, the Portuguese didn't appear much and neither did
Lewandowski
. And Yamal found it increasingly difficult to overwhelm
Alberto Moreno
, so Xavi's men were fading while Villarreal grew.
Gerard was the one who insisted the most in searching for the goal and ended up catching it shortly before half-time, in a throw-in that Barça defended regularly. Sorloth received and swiveled to put the ball into the heart of the area, where Gerard took advantage of the meters that
Christensen
had given him to finish first into the net.
Gerard Moreno celebrates Villarreal's 0-1 victory.EFE
The Dane stayed on the bench for the second half, like
Romeu
and Héctor Fort after a triple substitution with which Xavi tried to revive his team and succeeded. It was soon seen that the Blaugrana's movement speed was greater, with Pedri now at the wheel. He also gave more depth to the left wing with the entry of
Cancelo
, although the Portuguese made a mistake that made the game very difficult for his team. He tried to hit a long ball but control slipped and Akhomach was skilled to take it, dribble past Peña and score at will before apologizing to his former fans.
Xavi doubled his bet and brought in
Ferran
, the definitive push that Barça was missing to launch a comeback that seemed impossible and was achieved in just eleven minutes. The first step was taken by Gundogan, taking advantage of a backheel pass from Lewandowski. Ferran had the second but he failed in the goal opening to a pass from the German but it didn't take long for the tie to arrive, after a ball rejected to the front that Pedri sent into the net. Only three minutes later the comeback was completed with a hanging free kick in the area that
Bailly
put into his goal.
Fired up by adrenaline, Barcelona wanted to finish the game and was able to do so with a pair of arrivals from
Vitor Roque
and Cancelo that Jorgensen aborted. But Villarreal had not yet said its last word.
Guedes
' freshness
allowed him to get behind the defense on a good delivery from Sorloth and score with a cross shot. And after the tie, a crazy discount. In the 90th minute, Munuera pointed out a penalty but backed down after seeing the replay on the monitor, to Xavi's indignation. And with Barça in search of victory, Marcelino's team finished it off with goals from Sorloth, after a grotesque defensive action by the Blaugranas, and
Morales
on the counterattack.