Barcelona vs Villarreal: Careless Cules suffer last-minute sucker punch to leave Xavi on the brink

Barcelona vs Villarreal: Careless Cules suffer last-minute sucker punch to leave Xavi on the brink

Ifeanyi Ufomadu 20:45 - 27.01.2024

Villarreal defeated Barcelona 5-3 thanks to two super-late goals in a thrilling LaLiga encounter to heap even more pressure on struggling Xavi.

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Barcelona vs Villarreal - How it happened

Barcelona faced added pressure as Real Madrid won 2-1 against Las Palmas earlier, putting Xavi's team 10 points behind the new La Liga leaders at the start of their match. 

The Blaugrana struggled early on, and two goals for the visiting team were disallowed within 22 minutes. The first, by Álex Baena from an offside position, was rightly ruled out. 

The second goal was not allowed as VAR determined that Baena fouled Jules Koundé before Gerard Moreno scored, keeping the game goalless.

Moreno's clinical finish and Akhomach's opportunistic goal gave them a comfortable lead. Barcelona, trailing, staged a remarkable comeback in the final half-hour with goals from Gündoğan and Pedri. 

Despite taking a 3-2 lead, Villarreal retaliated with a late surge, securing a stunning 5-3 victory, breaking a four-game winless streak on the road.

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