Barcelona maintained their perfect start to LaLiga with a commanding 5-1 victory over Villarreal on Sunday, September 22. However, the triumph was overshadowed by a potentially serious knee injury to goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who had to be stretchered off the field.
The win marked Barcelona’s sixth consecutive league victory, but the match was not without its drama. Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both netted twice, with Lewandowski also missing a penalty in an entertaining clash at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica. Ayoze Perez briefly pulled Villarreal back into the contest just before halftime, but it was not enough to stem the tide.
Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 20th minute after a slick assist from Pablo Torre, before adding his second with an acrobatic finish following a rebound. This brought his tally to six goals for the season, giving him a two-goal lead in the race for Spain’s golden boot over Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe.
Villarreal responded before halftime when Perez capitalized on a setup from Nicolas Pepe. However, ter Stegen’s injury became a focal point as he fell awkwardly while catching a corner, leading to his replacement by Inaki Pena. In the second half, Villarreal had a goal from Pepe disallowed for offside and saw Yeremy Pino hit the bar. But Barcelona seized control again when Torre scored with a deflected shot, and Lewandowski’s subsequent penalty miss did little to dampen the visitors’ momentum.
Raphinha sealed the deal with two late goals, first with a deflected strike and then by finishing off a brilliant pass from teenager Lamine Yamal.
Despite the emphatic scoreline and a four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, concerns linger over ter Stegen’s injury and its potential impact on Barcelona’s title aspirations. Coach Hansi Flick expressed worry about the severity, stating, “I think it will be a huge injury.” Overall, Barcelona’s attack was relentless, but the injury to their first-choice keeper could prove crucial as the season progresses.