Lamine Yamal and Raphinha starred as Barcelona ended Aston Villa's perfect UEFA Champions League start with a 3-0 victory at Camp Nou. Yamal opened the scoring in the seventh minute, capitalizing on a João Gomes mistake to become the highest-scoring teenager in competition history with 14 goals. Raphinha, excelling as a No. 9, sealed the win with a second-half brace, taking his seasonal tally to 19 goals in 13 appearances.
The result moves Barcelona level with Villa on nine points in the standings. Barça had taken the lead early through Yamal's trademark finish, but Villa created chances through Matty Cash and Gomes before the break. Raphinha's first goal came off a deflection, while his second was a poacher's finish following João Cancelo's brilliant work.
Fermín López and Yamal also went close to adding a fourth, but Zion Suzuki made key saves. The victory rebuilds Barcelona's momentum after recent losses to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. Saturday's 6-1 win over Alaves had restored confidence ahead of this pivotal European clash.
Raphinha and Yamal have now netted 32 of Barcelona's 60 goals this season across 15 matches. Emery's unhappy record at Camp Nou continued, as Villa's unbeaten run in the competition ended. Barcelona now prepares for a top-of-the-table La Liga clash against Atlético Madrid on Sunday.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing