Goals from Raphinha and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal powered La Liga leaders Barcelona to a 2-0 victory over 10-man Villarreal on Sunday, extending their lead at the top of the table to four points over Real Madrid.
Raphinha opened the scoring in the 12th minute after earning a penalty while cutting inside the box. The Brazilian forward calmly converted with a slow run-up, sending goalkeeper Luiz Junior the wrong way for his seventh league goal of the season and Barcelona’s 50th in La Liga.
Yamal doubled the advantage in the 63rd minute, finishing from close range following a goalmouth scramble set up by Frenkie de Jong. It was also the 16-year-old’s seventh league goal this campaign.
The win marked Barcelona’s seventh consecutive victory in all competitions under coach Hansi Flick. The Catalan club, however, was without defender Andreas Christensen, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during training on Saturday.
Villarreal’s hopes faded late in the first half when defender Renato Veiga received a straight red card for a forceful challenge from behind on Yamal, who required brief treatment before continuing.
The result allowed Atletico Madrid to climb into third place after a convincing 3-0 win away to Girona, having played two more matches than Villarreal.
Atletico took the lead in the 13th minute through Koke, who struck a superb half-volley from outside the area. Jan Oblak later produced a brilliant one-handed save to deny Axel Witsel.
Conor Gallagher doubled the lead in the 38th minute with a long-range effort that deflected past goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, while Antoine Griezmann wrapped up the win in stoppage time with a composed finish.
Girona remain in the relegation zone. Elsewhere, Elche thrashed Rayo Vallecano 4-0 and Real Betis defeated Getafe by the same margin.
On Saturday, Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé marked his 27th birthday by scoring his 59th goal of 2025, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record for most goals in a calendar year.
Source: AP
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