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Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 in Champions League

Summarised from 10 outlets · 18 reports · Updated 4 Nov, 04:57 · Archive

Barcelona defeated Aston Villa 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, ending Villa's unbeaten run in the competition.

Barcelona defeated Aston Villa 3-0 at the Nou Camp on Tuesday evening in the Champions League league phase. Lamine Yamal gave Barcelona an early lead in the seventh minute after Joao Gomes made a poor pass from a goal-kick, with Yamal curling a finish into the corner from 12 yards out. Raphinha then scored twice in the second half to secure the victory.

The result ended Villa's unbeaten start to the competition. They had won their first three matches, scoring 12 goals in Europe, and arrived in Spain second in the league phase table, three points behind Barcelona. The defeat was particularly significant given its emotional weight: it was Unai Emery's first return to the Camp Nou in the Champions League since 2017, when as Paris Saint-Germain manager he suffered one of his most traumatic nights, losing 6-1 after a 4-0 first-leg advantage.

Villa competed well in the first half and created several promising opportunities. They almost equalised immediately after falling behind through consecutive corners, with Matty Cash seeing a low strike deflected wide and Joao Gomes having a close-range effort blocked by Joao Cancelo. In the 19th minute Nicolas Jackson burst down the right flank to set up Johan Manzambi, who shot wide. However, Villa's poor finishing and Barcelona's greater ability in the final third proved decisive.

Raphinha, who has now scored 19 goals in 13 appearances this season, produced two goals in the second half to put the game beyond reach. Barcelona controlled proceedings with what was described as 'unhurried, high-grade incision', with midfielder Pedri producing 'elite midfield guile' throughout the match. Barcelona had bounced back after their previous Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and their recent loss to Real Madrid in La Liga.

Unai Emery, who celebrated his 55th birthday on Tuesday, said his team have 'work to do' to reach Barcelona's level. The Guardian noted that Emery has now suffered defeat in 15 of his 16 trips to face Barcelona, a dismal record headlined by the infamous 6-1 loss nine years earlier. Despite the setback, BBC News reported that Villa and their manager view the fixture as a barometer of their progress under Emery's four-year tenure.

The Champions League anthem was not played before the game as a mark of respect for Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel, who died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning after an on-pitch collision in a Spanish second-division match. Raphinha dedicated Barcelona's victory to the midfielder's family, saying 'this can happen to anyone; it's very tough'.

With winnable fixtures remaining in the league phase, Villa retain strong prospects of securing a top-eight finish despite their first defeat of the campaign.

Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 in Champions League
Image: BBC News

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How it is being reported

In this story: Aston Villa · Barcelona · Unai Emery · Raphinha · Lamine Yamal · Nou Camp · Paris Saint-Germain · Joao Gomes

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