Barcelona’s Polish striker Robert Lewandowski celebrates with Lamine Yamal
JOSE JORDAN
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Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha scored twice each as Barcelona stormed to a 5-1 win at Villarreal in a wild game on Sunday to maintain their perfect start to La Liga.
The league leaders’ sixth consecutive league win was marred by a potentially serious knee injury to goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, who was carried off the pitch on a stretcher.
“I think it will be a serious injury. When he was lying on the field, you could see it straight away,” Barcelona coach Hansi Flick told DAZN.
Lewandowski scored the first two goals for Barcelona and later missed a penalty in a thoroughly entertaining duel on the Spanish east coast at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica.
Ayoze Perez brought his team back into the game just before half-time and the hosts had two goals disallowed. Goals from Pablo Torre and Raphinha secured Barcelona’s victory.
After second-placed Real Madrid swept Espanyol 4-1 on Saturday, the Catalans were able to extend their lead over the champions to four points.
“It is very important for us that we had an away game, scored five goals and ended up with three points,” said Lewandowski.
“In the end it doesn’t matter how, as long as we win, everything is perfect.”
Despite his early red card against Monaco in the Champions League during the week, Flick let Eric Garcia start again in defensive midfield.
The German coach also left reserve players Gerard Martin and Sergi Dominguez as well as playmaker Torre in the starting line-up instead of the injured Dani Olmo.
Teenage star Lamine Yamal hit the post early on before Lewandowski fired the ball into the net in the 20th minute after a pass from Torre.
Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Conde did well to parry a powerful shot from the Polish striker, but Lewandowski scored his second goal in the 35th minute.
Conde did well to parry Garcia’s header, but the former Bayern Munich striker converted the rebound with an acrobatic finish from close range.
It was his sixth La Liga goal this season, putting him two goals ahead of Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Spanish Golden Shoe.
Villarreal were always dangerous on the counterattack and Perez was the lifeline after the electrifying Nicolas Pepe played him a pass.
Ter Stegen denied Pepe with a sensational one-on-one save before half-time, but the German was hit shortly afterwards when he took a heavy fall following a corner before the break and was replaced by Inaki Pena.
Pepe finished brilliantly early in the second half but his effort was disallowed for a narrow offside decision. Yeremy Pino hit the bar with a header as Marcelino Garcia Toral’s team pushed Barcelona back.
Torre extended Barca’s lead with a deflected shot from the edge of the box, a fatal blow given Villarreal’s momentum.
Lewandowski hit the post from the penalty spot after Eric Bailly brought down Yamal and a goal by Villarreal’s Thierno Barry was disallowed for offside.
Raphinha dashed any hopes of a home comeback, first with a deflected shot and then by finishing after a superb pass from Yamal, leaving him only to beat Conde.
Despite the clear victory and his 100 percent performance at the start, a serious injury to ter Stegen could put a damper on Barcelona’s title hopes.
