Five-time winners Barcelona took an early lead through Lamine Yamal before Raphinha continued his fine goalscoring form with a second-half brace. Barca bounced back after defeat by champions Paris Saint-Germain in their previous European outing to stay in the hunt for a top eight league phase berth. Unai Emery’s Villa competed well in the first half but were eventually undone by Barca’s greater ability in the final third.
Raphinha struck twice to propel Barcelona to a 3-0 Champions League win over visitors Aston Villa on Tuesday, ending the English side’s perfect start to the competition.
The Champions League anthem was not played before the game, as a mark of respect for Tenerife striker Jesus De Miguel, who died on Tuesday morning after an on-pitch collision in a Spanish second division match the previous day, provoking shock across the football world.
“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,” Raphinha told Movistar. “We must be ruthless in the attacking third, we must be more demanding of ourselves, creating those chances to score,” Emery told reporters.
Yamal sent a shot skidding wide as Barcelona probed for a fourth. Yamal’s goal was his 14th in the competition across his career, beating Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe’s previous record tally of 13 netted as a teenager in the Champions League. It did not come, but the Catalan giants were able to record a first Champions League clean sheet in 19 games.
Emery said the match was a good lesson for his side against one of the biggest teams in Europe.
