Barcelona player ratings vs Villarreal: Catalans ripped apart in bonkers eight-goal thriller as disgraceful defending – led by the calamitous Joao Cancelo – leaves Xavi facing the sack
The Blaugrana were embarrassing at the back, turning in a performance that could ultimately see their manager out of a job
A disastrous defensive display doomed Barcelona once again, the Blaugrana conceding twice in second-half stoppage time to conclude a chaotic contest that saw them lose 5-3 at home. Xavi’s side held a 3-2 lead after 83 minutes, but a collapse at the back saw them concede three in 15 minutes – a passage that will surely see them drop out of the Liga title race.
Gerard Moreno opened the scoring, darting into the box to meet a driven cross from Alexander Sorloth – which he smashed into the bottom corner. Things got worse for the Blaugrana after the break. Joao Cancelo, playing his first game in three weeks, made a crucial mistake. The Portuguese, usually so calm in possession, sliced a clearance into the path of Ilias Akhomach, who rounded Inaki Pena and finished for a 2-0 lead.
Barca resiliently worked their way back into the game, with Ilkay Gundogan being the source of it all as he placed a left-footed strike into the bottom corner from outside the box after an hour. Pedri then followed with an effort of his own eight minutes later, lashing home from close range after a kind deflection. And the third came soon after, Eric Bailly turning the ball into his own net from Gundogan’s teasing free-kick.
And then came the collapse. Loanee Goncalo Guedes got the first, driving a fine low finish past a sprawling Pena, before Sorloth and Jose Morales grabbed the fourth and fifth late on as they sauntered through the lacklustre Barca defence to complete a remarkable comeback that could see Xavi removed from his job.
GOAL rates Barcelona’s players from the Olympic Stadium…
