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Match

Marcador del partit

Date: Saturday, 20 Oct
Competition: ???label.competicio0???
Stadium: El Madrigal, Villarreal

Resultat:

Villarreal CF: 3
FC Barcelona: 1

Match report

Match Report
Pre-Match

Match Report

Goals

1-0 Cazorla (min 2)
2-0 Senna (p) (min 12)
2-1 Bojan (min 24)
3-1 Senna (p) (min 34)

Villarreal continue the hoodoo (3-1)

Jordi Clos

FC Barcelona lost their first league of the season as they were beaten by Villarreal in El Madrigal in a game that saw Bojan Krkic score to become the youngest ever player to net for the club in the league.

Frank Rijkaard's side last defeat in the league came at the same venue and they were unable to avenge that reverse on Saturday evening as they conceded two penalties, having gone behind in the third minute. All the goals came in the first half as the match was paid at a swift pace, but Barça were just unable to break through the stalwart Villarreal rearguard more than once despite changing their tactics to an even more attacking style at the start of the second period.

Tough start

Villarreal's pressure in the opening few seconds paid immediate dividends as they took the lead in the third minute with an tantalising move. Guille Franco played a superb flick with his in-step behind the Barça defence and Santi Cazorla curled the ball into the far corner of the net. Things went from bad to worse in the 12th minute when Robert Pirès skipped into the area before going down very easily as Éric Abidal brushed him and the referee pointed to the spot and Senna stroked the ball past Valdés from 12 yards.

Krkic makes history

Despite going two down so early on, Barça showed that their belief had not taken too much of a knock as they began to press forward and were rewarded in the 24th minute. Messi laid the ball into the area and Krkic beat Javi Venta to the pass before guiding his shot inside Sebastián Viera and into the net via the near post. With the Blaugrana looking likely to draw level, they were hit again at the other end as Pirès provoked his second penalty of the evening as he went down after minimal contact, if any, with Gabi Milito and Senna scored again from the spot 11 minutes before the break.

Strong in the middle

Villarreal held their own in the centre of midfield as their more physical players made life difficult for the visitors. At the back, two rows of four players closed in every time Barça ventured forward in the second period and it became very difficult to find any space. Rijkaard had introduced Giovani Dos Santos in place of Oleguer at the break, as he opted to sacrifice a defender for a forward and the Mexican youngster did cause the odd problem down the flanks.

Deco limps out

Deco fired wide of the far post, but his evening ended in a bad way as he pulled up chasing a ball and had to be replaced by Eidur Gudjohnsen, with early reports suggesting that he may have torn a muscle at the top of his leg. Gudjohnsen held his own in midfield, but with so many opposition players in front of him was unabel to change the shape of the encounter.

Final chances

In the closing moment Dos Santos headed over and Andrés Iniesta had a drive, but still the Yellow Submarine stood firm against the barrage. Despite all their efforts, Barça were unable to find a route to victory in El Madrigal.

Preview

Villarreal without some key players

Pellegrini will be without his top goal scorer (5 goals), the US born Italian striker Giuseppe Rossi, who is suspended. The manager is also missing Josico, Gonzalo Rodríguez and Juan Román Riquelme (who has yet to make his competitive debut this season) through injury. However, Thierry Henry’s former team-mate at Arsenal, central defender Pascal Cygan, returns to the side after recovering from injury.

League action returns in Villarreal

David Puig

The league kicks off again after the international break with a thrilling encounter between 2 of the in-form teams in the Spanish league. Barça will be looking to improve their record in the Madrigal where they have only managed one win in 5 seasons.

Barça return to league action after the international break against a Villarreal side that have made an excellent start to the season. Frank Rijkaard has decided to rest Ronaldinho after his exhausting round trip to Brazil but has called up the rest of his fit players including Giovani Dos Santos, who returned from Los Angeles on Friday morning. Ezquerro is the only new face in the squad compared to the last league match against Atlético Madrid.

The scene of the last defeat

The last time Barça lost a competitive game was precisely in the Madrigal, on 22nd April 2007. Villarreal, who are managed by Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini, won the match 2-0, following a pattern of results in the Madrigal that makes poor reading for Barça fans. Of the eight matches played there between the two teams, Barça has only won three, losing four times and drawing once.

Pellegrini and Rijkaard, the “veterans” of La Liga

One interesting aspect of the match is that Pellegrini and Rijkaard are currently the longest serving managers in the Spanish league. Rijkaard is in his fifth season with Barça, during which time he has won two league titles and the Champions League. Meanwhile, Pellegrini - whose greatest achievement with the club to date has been to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2005-2006 season – is in his fourth season. Despite the lack of titles, the Chilean coach has managed to convert a modest club into an ambitious side that plays attractive attacking football.

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