Before half-time for a late lunge on Yamal, Villarreal’s Renato Veiga was sent off for a late penalty that Brazil international Raphinha won and converted on Sunday.
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As Hansi Flick’s side regained their lead over Real Madrid, who are second, and won their eighth straight league game, the 18-year-old slotted home Barca’s second midway through the second half.
After winning 3-0 at Girona earlier in the match, Atletico Madrid moved ahead of Villarreal to finish fourth.
After being excluded from FIFA’s “Best” team of the year earlier in the week, Flick launched into an emotional defense of Raphinha on Saturday, prompting the winger’s remorsel against his coach.
After La Liga’s plans to bring this game to the United States were scrapped in October, Raphinha produced an all-action display at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica, where the match was played instead of Miami.
Barca struggled in their build-up play and struggled defensively, but Raphinha and Yamal’s wingers Raphinha and Yamal’s outstanding performance and their goalkeeper Joan Garcia’s outstanding performance made the game entertaining.
Ayoze Perez’s shot was blocked by Jules Kounde, who then turned the ball over to Raphinha, who then netted a penalty.
The winger delivered it with assurance and nearly added the second with a superb effort that slammed back off the bar.
Villarreal fought back when Kounde deflected a cross into his own net, but offside in the build-up prevented the goal.
After Villarreal’s error caused an error by Alejandro Balde, Barca stopper Joan Garcia saved Tajon Buchanan.
Veiga’s needless red card for a late, ugly lunge on Yamal before the break made the visitors’ job easier.
After a frantic exchange in the box, the champions scored after 63 minutes when Frenkie de Jong scored the winning goal.
In their final three games, covering all competitions, Barca finished 2026 with three points and a third clean sheet thanks to Joan Garcia’s stunning saves against Rafa Marin and Georges Mikautadze.
Following Andreas Christensen’s diagnosis with a partially torn knee ligament, Kounde went off hurt before the end, which could add to Flick’s back issues.
Barca come into the year stronger than their Spanish rivals Real Madrid, who defeated Sevilla 2-0 on Saturday, but they still have plenty of issues to worry about.
De Jong, the Barcelona captain, stated that his team has accomplished their goal of winning the league and will rest before the league’s first-ever meeting in early January.
“Villarreal have some excellent players up front, and they are very quick on the counter.” He said, “We could have been a little better. We need to organize ourselves a little better.”
“But I thought our performance on the pitch was better than we did. Although we deserved to win, I don’t think it’s all right.
Dani Parejo, the captain of Villarreal, expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance despite conceding the penalty.
He claimed that “we had a lot of really good chances,” and that “we could have scored more goals at halftime.”
Source: Aljazeera
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