BARCELONA: Barcelona’s title defense was derailed as Villarreal romped to a sensational 5-3 victory in La Liga on Saturday with three late goals.
After Real Madrid moved two points clear of Girona at the top of the league with a win at Las Palmas, the pressure was firmly on Xavi Hernandez’s defending champions in third.
In a see-saw match Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach put Villarreal two goals ahead before Barcelona battled back.
Ilkay Gundogan and Pedri struck before Eric Bailly headed into his own net to give the hosts the lead.
However, Goncalo Guedes fired home in the 84th minute before stoppage time strikes from Alexander Sorloth and Jose Luis Morales left Barcelona ten points adrift of rivals Madrid.
Xavi brought in Joao Felix and midfielder Oriol Romeu from the side that lost in extra-time against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey in midweek, as well as young defender Hector Fort.
After that elimination and a thrashing by Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final, Barcelona have only La Liga and the Champions League left on the table.
Barcelona’s 16-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal offered spark and invention on the right but Villarreal were the more dangerous side in the first half.
Barcelona have conceded far too many early goals this season and after three minutes Alex Baena struck, but it was ruled out for offside.
Felix had a vicious strike tipped over by Filip Jorgensen before Villarreal had another strike disallowed, controversially.
Moreno rifled in at the near post, but Alexander Sorloth was ruled to be offside and blocking defender Ronald Araujo.
It was third time lucky for the Yellow Submarine, however, with Moreno firing home Sorloth’s cut-back with aplomb — this time it counted.
As the players trudged in for half-time Barcelona were whistled in by disgruntled supporters at their temporary home at the Olympic Stadium.
Xavi made a triple change at the break, throwing on Joao Cancelo, Pedri Gonzalez and 17-year-old defender Pau Cubarsi.
It fired the team up as they pushed Villarreal back, but they conceded a foolish second goal after a bad Cancelo mistake.
The defender miskicked the ball allowing former Barcelona winger Akhomach to gallop in on goal, rounding Inaki Pena and rolling home.
Undeterred, Barcelona fought their way back in.
Gundogan finished superbly after Robert Lewandowski diverted the ball into his path on the edge of the box after an hour.
Then Pedri drove home eight minutes later to level the scores, before Bailly headed Gundogan’s free kick into his own net.
Barcelona substitute Vitor Roque came close to adding a fourth but Jorgensen saved his low strike after he raced in behind.
However, Barcelona’s defense, a far cry from the watertight back-line which led them to the title last season, was pulled apart again by Sorloth.
The striker fed winger Guedes, who flashed a strike past Pena and into the far corner.
Barcelona were awarded a penalty in the 90th minute when Santi Comesana blocked Gundogan’s cross with his elbow, but the referee canceled it after reviewing the incident on VAR, leaving the hosts furious.
Worse was to come, with Sorloth finishing from close range to put Villarreal ahead and Morales rubbed salt in the wound with a late fifth, with Barcelona in total disarray.
Five-goal Villarreal stun champions Barcelona
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Five-goal Villarreal stun champions Barcelona
- In a see-saw match Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach put Villarreal two goals ahead before Barcelona battled back
- Barcelona’s 16-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal offered spark and invention on the right
Real Sociedad end Barca winning streak to tighten Liga title race
- The Catalan giants, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now only lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point at the top of the table
SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain: Real Sociedad damaged Barcelona’s title defense ambitions as Goncalo Guedes gave them a surprise 2-1 La Liga victory on Sunday as Hansi Flick’s side fell to a first defeat in 12 matches.
The Catalan giants, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now only lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point at the top of the table after Alvaro Arbeloa’s side beat Levante on Saturday.
Hosts Real Sociedad, now unbeaten in four games under new American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, had Carlos Soler sent off late on but managed to hold on to triumph and climb up to eighth.
“I think we deserved to win today, we had a lot of chances, but in the end you have to put them away,” Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong told DAZN.
“We played well but we didn’t win... their goalkeeper had a very good game.”
Sociedad shot-stopper Alex Remiro made several crucial saves.
“Three great points and a great game,” said Remiro.
“We’ve started this year in great form... this is the energy we have, how we’ve changed (recently).”
In a frantic start to a compelling game at the rainy Reale Arena, both teams had goals ruled out.
La Real had the ball in the net inside 30 seconds when Mikel Oyarzabal headed home Guedes’s cross, but had strayed offside.
At the other end, Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez drilled home from range but Dani Olmo had committed a foul in the build-up and it was ruled out.
With teenage winger Lamine Yamal keen to take on defenders, Barca got in often down the right flank. The 18-year-old teed up Olmo who fired high over the bar when he might have sent the Catalans ahead.
Yamal found the net himself but the goal was ruled out for an extremely tight offside, before Real Sociedad took the lead against the run of play.
Oyarzabal lashed home Guedes’s cross with a blistering volley inside Joan Garcia’s near post.
Yamal was felled just inside the area before half-time but although the referee pointed to the spot, a VAR review showed that the youngster was offside again and it was canceled out.
Remiro heroics
Barcelona turned up the pressure in the second half and Real Sociedad were left depending on Remiro and the frame of the goal to keep the Catalans at bay.
Olmo crashed a shot against the post from Lopez’s cross and then Remiro denied the Barca midfielder with a fine near-post save.
Remiro then tipped substitute Robert Lewandowski’s header against the crossbar with the save of the night.
Another Barca substitute, Marcus Rashford, eventually pulled the champions level, heading Yamal’s cross home after 70 minutes.
However, the hosts immediately regained their advantage after Barca goalkeeper Garcia initially saved Carlos Soler’s shot. The midfielder was able to gather the rebound and cross for Guedes, who fired La Real ahead again.
They should have got a third when Garcia, out of his goal, had no chance of saving Oyarzabal’s effort but Pau Cubarsi headed the ball off the line.
Barcelona came within centimeters of an equalizer when Joao Cancelo, on his second debut for the club, crossed for Jules Kounde, who headed against the crossbar.
Soler was dismissed for an ugly foul on Pedri before nine minutes of stoppage time were added on.
Rashford hit the post directly from a corner kick as Barca pushed until the end but could not find a way through.
