Barcelona 2-3 Villarreal: LaLiga champions have their party spoiled
Perhaps suffering something of a hangover, newly crowned LaLiga champions Barcelona lost 3-2 to Villarreal on Sunday.
Barcelona slumped to a 3-2 home defeat to Villarreal in their first game after being crowned LaLiga champions.
Hansi Flick's team sealed the title with a 2-0 victory over local rivals Espanyol on Thursday.
But perhaps suffering something of a hangover from their celebrations, the Blaugrana slipped up at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, where Tajon Buchanan netted an 80th-minute winner for the visitors to snap Barca's 17-game unbeaten run in the league.
Villarreal took the lead inside four minutes, as Ayoze Perez coolly slotted beyond the returning Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Yet teenage sensation Lamine Yamal hit back for Barca, who then led at half-time after Fermin Lopez finished on the back of Yamal striking the crossbar.
Villarreal, though, showcased their own powers of recovery in the second half, with Santi Comesana swiftly restoring parity.
That paved the way for Buchanan to latch onto Gerard Moreno's superb cross and nudge Villarreal into a lead they did not relinquish, as the Yellow Submarine confirmed Champions League football for next season.
Data Debrief: Sharp-shooting Barca fall short
Barca have scored 23 goals from outside the area in all competitions this season, which is their highest tally in a single campaign since 2018-19 (also 23).
The Blaugrana had 24 shots in total, yet their 1.26 expected goals suggests they were not generating high-calibre chances.
On the flip side, Villarreal, who have now won three of their last four away matches against Barca in LaLiga, finished with 1.75 xG from just seven attempts – an impressive 0.25 xG per shot.