Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0, ending Villa's perfect Champions League start

Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 at Camp Nou in the Champions League on Tuesday. The defeat ended Villa's perfect start to the competition.

Lamine Yamal gave Barcelona the lead in the seventh minute. The goal came after Barcelona's high press led to a misplaced pass by Villa's Joao Gomes.

Villa created first-half chances, including through Matty Cash, Gomes and Johan Manzambi. Barcelona then pulled away in the second half of a match played in heavy rain.

Raphinha, playing as Barcelona's No. 9, scored twice after the break. That took him to 19 goals for the season. Fermin Lopez set up his first goal, and Joao Cancelo's cross set up his second.

Barcelona had lost to Paris Saint-Germain in their previous Champions League match.

Records and standings

According to ESPN, Raphinha's first goal came in the 52nd minute and was deflected past Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. Al Jazeera's account does not mention a deflection.

ESPN reported that Yamal's goal was his 14th in the Champions League. That moved him past Kylian Mbappe as the highest-scoring teenager in the competition's history.

ESPN also reported that Raphinha has 23 Champions League goals for Barcelona. That is level with Robert Lewandowski and behind only Lionel Messi (120) and Luis Suarez (25).

Al Jazeera said Barcelona recorded their first Champions League clean sheet in 19 games. According to ESPN, the win moved Barcelona level with Villa on nine points. Villa had won their first three matches, against Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and Viking FK, ESPN reported. It said Barcelona next play Atletico Madrid in LaLiga on Sunday.

Tribute to Jesus de Miguel

According to Al Jazeera, the Champions League anthem was not played before the match as a mark of respect for Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel. Al Jazeera reported that he died of a cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning, after an on-pitch collision in a Spanish second-division match the previous day. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not describe the collision or say whether a medical link to the cardiac arrest has been established.

Al Jazeera quoted Raphinha as telling Movistar: "Yes, it was [a good win]; I want to dedicate this win to the fans, but today I don’t want to talk about football, I want to send a message to the family of Jesus – may he rest in peace,"

The reports do not include post-match comments from Barcelona coach Hansi Flick or Villa manager Unai Emery, or an official statement on the anthem decision.

Analysis

The result leaves Barcelona and Villa level on nine points, according to ESPN, though the reports do not give their exact table positions. For Barcelona, a clean sheet after a run of 19 games without one could signal defensive progress, or it could prove a single result. ESPN's figure that Yamal and Raphinha have scored 32 of the team's 60 goals may show attacking strength, but also reliance on two players. Villa's first-half chances suggest the scoreline may not tell the whole story. The Atletico Madrid match on Sunday offers a further test for Barcelona.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.