FC Barcelona v Villarreal 3-2: Show of resilience
MIKE TOLL
Barça bounce back from a pair of one-goal deficits
Neymar strikes just before the half; Rafinha and Messi finish the job
In what was billed as a major test for two teams that rode into Camp Nou riding a wave of impressive results, it was FC Barcelona who had more answers as they came back twice from a goal down to subdue Villarreal and extend their winning streak to eight games in all competitions, their fourth straight in La Liga.
Good vibrations
The first quarter hour saw Barça monopolise possession, with the Yellow Submarine barely getting out of their own end in spite of their best intentions to string together enough passes to mount an attack. Luís Suárez had Barça’s first three scoring chances, although only one of them registered a shot on goal, as Suárez had a shot from point-blank range turned away by Villarreal keeper Asenjo on 13 minutes. Suárez had another chance in the 20th as his attempted bicycle kick was just off target.
As the half hour mark arrived, Villarreal raced out on a counterattack and, after a moment of indecision, Mario one-timed from outside the area, with Cheryshev just sticking out his foot to redirect past a diving Claudio Bravo and give Villarreal a 1–0 lead.
Down, but not out
Barça had trouble getting more opportunities until just before the half when Messi found Rafinha in the area. Rafinha’s shot was saved by Asenjo but the rebound fell right to Neymar, who banged it in to draw even.
Barça wanted to ride that energy back out onto the field after the break, but in the 51st minute, Villarreal went back on top after Piqué misjudged a ball near midfield. Giovani flew in and carried to the end line where, running out of real estate, he made a hard cut to avoid Bravo and find Vietto waiting alone to tap into the open goal. Camp Nou went silent.
Knock, knock
But just as the silence turned to a general sense of uneasiness, Rafinha got one right back after finishing off a sequence that saw both Messi and Neymar denied.
The cheering fans were just retaking their seats in the 55th when they were greeted with yet another surprise, as none other than Leo Messi put the culers on top 3–2 by depositing a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area. He was assisted on the play by Suárez.
Finally out in front, the blaugranes took a deep breath and slowly wore down Villarreal in the final 30 minutes. The visitors didn’t create any more danger as they fell for the first time since November. For Barça, the win proved their resilience, a powerful trait to have, as they march toward a decisive stretch of the season.