Barcelona ends Aston Villa’s perfect Champions League start with 3-0 victory

Barcelona ended Aston Villa’s perfect start to the Champions League campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory at the Spotify Camp Nou on Tuesday. 

Lamine Yamal opened the scoring before Raphinha struck twice in the second half to secure all three points for the Spanish side.

Barcelona took the lead in the seventh minute when Yamal capitalized on a defensive mistake by Joao Gomes. 

The young forward curled the ball into the net for his 13th goal in 15 appearances, giving the hosts an early advantage.

Aston Villa responded well and created several chances to level before the break. 

Matty Cash and Victor Lindelof had efforts deflected behind, while Johan Manzambi missed another chance before forcing Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia into action. However, Villa couldn’t convert their chances.

The visitors paid for their missed chances seven minutes into the second half when Raphinha doubled Barcelona’s lead. 

The Brazilian’s low effort took a deflection off Pau Torres, wrong-footing goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and leaving Villa with a difficult task.

Raphinha completed his brace in the 64th minute after an excellent move involving Joao Cancelo, whose precise pass set him up to finish from close range.

Barcelona continued to threaten, but Suzuki denied Anthony Gordon a fourth.

Villa attempted to reduce the deficit, with Leon Goretzka heading against the post, but Barcelona held firm to secure their first Champions League clean sheet since April 2025. 

The result ended Villa’s winning run in the competition and moved Barcelona above the English side into second place in the league-phase standings.

The victory provided a significant boost for Barcelona after a challenging period, with Yamal and Raphinha leading the attacking display. 

For Villa, the defeat highlighted the importance of taking chances against top European opposition, as their missed opportunities proved costly against a clinical Barcelona side.