January 27, (THEWILL) – In a dramatic match that saw multiple lead changes and late goals, Barcelona suffered a shock 5-3 defeat at home to Villarreal on Saturday, despite battling back from two goals down.
Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach put the visitors ahead before goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri and Eric Bailly own goal turned things around for Barcelona. However, Goncalo Guedes made it 3-3 in the 84th minute to set up a tense finale. Then, deep into stoppage time, Alexander Sorloth and Jose Luis Morales struck for Villarreal to seal an incredible comeback victory.
The result drops Barcelona 10 points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid, who won earlier in the day. It also condemned Barcelona to back-to-back losses after their midweek Copa del Rey defeat. Xavi rang the changes at half-time but still could not prevent his team from capitulating late on in dramatic fashion.
Villarreal showed tremendous spirit to battle back and claim a famous win despite seeing two first-half goals disallowed. The game exploded into life in the second half with five goals in 15 minutes. Still, the late drama left Barcelona stunned and served a blow to their title hopes at a crucial stage of the season.
Xavi will have to rally his troops quickly as they look to respond after this demoralising defeat. It also means more pressure on the Blaugrana legend who had insisted that if at the end of the season, the club fails to live up to its expectations, he would consider leaving his position.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
