Barça closes the wound and activates the steamroller against Villarreal
Lewandowski, with a double, and Ansu Fati sentenced the duel in ten minutes to recover the ‘culé’ joy
BARCELONA, 20 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FC Barcelona beat Villarreal CF (3-0) this Thursday to close their wound, in a duel where they put an end to their hard setbacks in the Champions League and in the Clásico, with a brace from Lewandowski and a goal from Ansu Fati, which allows them to continue to lie in wait for the leadership in LaLiga Santander.
Robert Lewandowski recovered the prominence lost in the domestic competition to continue adding two by two. An exhibition that resolved the duel in ten minutes to return the support of a dedicated crowd to his team, after his three-way draw against Inter Milan -which leaves them closer to the Europa League than to the knockout stages of the ‘Champions’- and the loss of the league throne against his eternal Madrid rival (3-1).
The party began before the match with a warm applause from the Spotify Camp Nou for Gavi and Robert Lewandowski, the Raymond Kopa Trophy for the best Under-21 and the Müller Trophy, although much of the applause went to Alexia Putellas, the best player in the world with his second consecutive Ballon d’Or.
The tough setbacks and the tight schedule forced Xavi to shake up an eleven full of changes. Frenkie de Jong acted as Sergio Busquets, Ansu Fati as Ousmane Dembélé and Ferran Torres as Raphinha, all with Jordi Alba as the owner of the left lane. Thus, the ambition and the first occasions ran from Fati’s boots, eager to take a step forward to earn a regularity in the eleven based on goals.
Barça dominated and subdued the ‘Yellow Submarine’ in their area, although the solid block of Emery’s men initially made it impossible for Pedri and Gavi to play inside, a usual trend for the Catalans, who once again based their options on the flanks in search of of Lewandowski, who revolutionized the game half an hour into the game to give Barcelona a joy.
The Polish international pulled the cart and in five minutes he sentenced the match with two lethal lunges. A strength that neither Pau Torres nor Albiol could stop, downed in the heart of the area with a great gesture from the number ‘9’ to open the scoring. Villarreal had no time to react and while Rulli was overcoming the first blow, the second came.
The azulgrana gear did not slow down its incessant rhythm and Lewandowski put the second with a shoe from outside the area, in the same squad, with a great shot to the long post that raised the fans. However, Ansu Fati would drive a Camp Nou mad in just ten minutes with the third of the night.
In steamroller mode activated, the young attacker knocked out the ‘groguet’ team after taking advantage of a great play by Ferran Torres, which ended with a failed first shot, although he ended up pushing it with his heel to the back of the net to also score the third on his account especially this season.
Unai Emery already warned in the previous one that a wounded Barça was lethal, for which he suffered the retaliation of the Catalan team and suffered Álex Baena’s loss in the first half, replaced by Johan Mojica after twenty minutes of play with muscular problems.
Without a great incentive for the Castellón team in the second section, Emery took the opportunity to shoot Alberto Moreno and Manu Trigueros, both in their set-up after recovering from injury. Golden minutes that would allow them to pick up pace, while Morales gave Danjuma a rest and already thinking about the next duel against Almería.
Xavi did the same with Héctor Bellerín, already recovered from his soleus problems. Along with the side, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Piqué also entered -both marked by the sporting collapse these weeks-. In the case of the midfielder, the timid whistle ended in acclamation by the more than 70,000 spectators, while the center-back caused a loud whistle as well as applause.
The pace dropped in the last half hour of the game and the scoreboard did not move again. Three points that remain in Barcelona and keep Xavi’s men on the ‘hunt’ for Real Madrid with a change of dynamics, which they hope to consolidate again in their fort, next Sunday against Athletic Club, which means the return by Ernesto Valverde’s first time at what was his home for two and a half years.
–RESULT: FC BARCELONA, 3 – VILLARREAL CF 0 (3-0, at halftime)
FC BARCELONA: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto (Bellerin, min.70), Koundé, Marcos Alonso, Jordi Alba; De Jong (Busquets, min.70), Pedri, Gavi; Ansu Fati (Dembele, 75th minute), Ferran Torres and Lewandowski (Raphinha, 75th minute).
VILLARREAL CF: Rulli; Femenía, Albiol (Mandi, min. 80), Pau Torres, Pedraza; Parejo, Morlanes (Trigueros, min.57), Álex Baena (Mojica, min.25); Yéremi Pino, Nicolas Jakson (Alberto Moreno, min.58) and Danjuma (Morales, min.45).
1 – 0, min.31 Robert Lewandowski.
2 – 0, min.35 Robert Lewandowski.
3 – 0, min.38 Ansu Fati.
–REFEREE: Del Cerro Grande (C. Madrileño) admonished Pau Torres (min.90 2) at Villarreal CF.
–STADIUM: Spotify Camp Nou. (73,261 viewers)
