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Villarreal logo
La Liga | Gameweek 32
Apr 25, 2021 at 3.15pm UK
Estadio El Madrigal
Barcelona logo

Villarreal
1 - 2
Barcelona

Chukwueze (26'), Griezmann (28', 35')
Griezmann (50'), Albiol (66'), Torres (74'), Busquets (82'), Mingueza (90+3')
Trigueros (65')
FT(HT: 3-0)

Villarreal 1-2 Barcelona: Antoine Griezmann nets brace as Ronald Koeman's side triumph

Villarreal 1-2 Barca: Griezmann nets brace as Koeman's side triumph
© Reuters
The Frenchman got both of his side's goals as they won 2-1 at Villarreal.

Antoine Griezmann produced a double as Barcelona's LaLiga title challenge regained pace with a 2-1 defeat of 10-man Villareal.

The club sit second in the table following the victory, with Atletico Madrid just two points above them at the top of the league.

Ronald Koeman's squad had not suffered a LaLiga defeat since December before their losing encounter with reigning champions Real Madrid on April 10, but the club returned to winning form when defeating Getafe on Thursday and retained that momentum at Estadio de la Ceramica.

Villarreal v Barcelona
Villarreal's Manu Trigueros was sent off during the defeat to Barcelona (Alberto Saiz/AP)

Their task was made easier by the dismissal of Manu Trigueros in the 65th minute, with the Spaniard's lunging tackle on Lionel Messi earning him a straight red card.

Villareal's Samuel Chukwueze pounced on an opportunity to hand his side the lead in the 26th minute, with Pau Torres spotting a gap in Barca's defence and finding the Nigerian, who made his way around Marc-Andre ter Stegen to open the scoring.

The lead proved to be short-lived, however, as Griezmann picked up a pass from Oscar Mingueza and responded almost immediately when firing past Sergio Asenjo to equalise two minutes later.

The Frenchman then struck again to hand the visitors the lead after 35 minutes, this time intercepting a weak back pass from Villareal's Juan Foyth and slotting the ball past a helpless Asenjo.

After the break the hosts were a man down when midfielder Trigueros slid in with a reckless tackle to floor Barca captain Messi and was shown a red card, with team-mate Raul Albiol the recipient of a yellow card after his protesting of the referee's decision.

Villareal were still able to create a chance in the 78th minute with their depleted team when Gerard Moreno looked poised to produce an equaliser, but his shot was wide of the mark and the ball drifted past the right post.

Barcelona then missed an opportunity to cap their victory with a similar near miss after 83 minutes, with Frenkie de Jong attempting to chip the ball over Asenjo but seeing his effort bounce and land off target.

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Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring against Getafe in La Liga on April 22, 2021
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona14111242142834
2Atletico MadridAtletico148512181329
3Real Madrid1283125111427
4Villarreal127322319424
5GironaGirona146352018221
6Mallorca146351312121
7Osasuna136341720-321
8Athletic Bilbao135531913620
9Real BetisBetis145541616020
10Real Sociedad135351110118
11Celta Vigo145362224-218
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15Getafe142751011-113
16AlavesAlaves144191524-913
17Las PalmasLas Palmas143381825-712
18Valencia122461219-710
19Espanyol133191226-1410
20Real ValladolidValladolid142391027-179


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