Yamal becomes highest-scoring teenager in UCL history, Raphinha adds two in Barcelona’s win over Villa
Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 at Camp Nou on November 3, with Raphinha scoring twice after Lamine Yamal’s seventh-minute opener, a goal that made him the highest-scoring teenager in Champions League history. Villa were undone by errors playing out from the back.
Yamal almost added a fourth near the end, cutting in to curl a low shot just wide, and then forced a save from Zion Suzuki in stoppage time. Barcelona kept the ball comfortably, and Villa could not find a consolation despite Ross Barkley blasting over.
Villa had threatened before Raphinha’s second. Johan Manzambi had earlier gone close, and substitute Ibrahim Mbaye’s corner was flicked on by Leon Goretzka, bouncing across goal and off the post with Nicolas Jackson unable to turn it in. Once the third went in, Barcelona rang the changes.
Raphinha settled it in the 64th minute. Joao Cancelo beat John McGinn on the left and delivered a trivela cross, and the Brazilian timed his run to finish first time past Suzuki. It was his 18th goal of the season, and Barcelona’s dominance was complete.
His first came in the 52nd minute. Fermin Lopez knocked the ball past Joao Gomes and fed Raphinha, who turned and shot, and a big deflection off Pau Torres took it beyond Suzuki. Villa had responded well after the break, only for Jackson to check back instead of shooting.
The half-time break brought a change, with Marc Bernal replacing Rodri. Barcelona had led through Yamal’s goal, but Villa had chances, including a Manzambi effort saved by Joan Garcia and a Jackson run that Garcia raced out of his area to stop.
Tempers frayed before the break. Jackson caught Pau Cubarsi and then tried to drag him up, drawing his team-mates into a flare-up. VAR checked for a red card and found none. Jackson and Raphinha were booked, and the first half ended with Barcelona 1-0 up.
Yamal’s goal was a gift. Suzuki passed to Gomes, who tried a square ball across his own box, and Yamal pounced, cut inside and tucked it past Suzuki. It was his 14th Champions League goal, breaking Kylian Mbappe’s record for a teenager, after Villa had pressed Barcelona’s high line from the start.
Hansi Flick’s high line kept leaving space. Villa exploited it twice, Jackson slipping through only for Garcia to charge out and block, and Manzambi sliding the Senegalese striker in again. Another chance fell to Manzambi, who fluffed a shot wide under pressure from Cubarsi.
Unai Emery’s side had rarely threatened early. Matty Cash volleyed a corner just wide via a deflection off Pedri, and Gomes saw a point-blank effort cannon off Cancelo, though a second Suzuki pass out from the back almost cost them again before he saved from Anthony Gordon.
Heavy rain fell throughout in Barcelona, with the Champions League anthem silenced to honour Tenerife’s Jesus de Miguel, who died on Monday after an on-field collision, and the victims of a recent train crash in Spain. Villa’s Emery was back at the ground of his 2017 Paris Saint-Germain defeat.
Barcelona stay among the leading sides in the league phase, while Villa, who had won their first three, suffered a first loss. Both started the night in the top eight, and Emery’s record against Barcelona now reads played 31, won three, lost 22.