27 January 2024 , 21:10
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Eric Bailly appeared to headbutt Robert Lewandowski, and scored an own goal - but had the last laugh as Villarreal won 5-3 against Barcelona on Saturday night.
The former Manchester United defender was named in the Villarreal side to take on the Catalan giants at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. It initially looked as though they were on the way to a memorable win after goals from Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach put the Yellow Submarine 2-0 up.
However, that was merely the start of the chaos.
Former Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan reduced the deficit, with Pedri then equalising with just over 20 minutes to go. After Barcelona’s second goal, Bailly was involved in a tense showdown with striker Lewandowski.
He shoved the Polish striker into the back of the Villarreal net. The ex-Bayern Munich star did not take too kindly to that with the pair subsequently butting heads. The referee did not deem either of the two players worthy of a sending-off and thought a caution for each was satisfactory.
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Bailly’s evening soon got worse however. The defender put through his own net from a Gundogan free-kick to put Barcelona in charge.
And it looked as though Xavi’s side were on track for victory before Goncalo Guedes, on loan with Villarreal from Wolves and making his debut here, levelled matters once again.
Villarreal then completed a stunning turnaround as goals in the ninth and 12th minutes of stoppage time condemned Barcelona to a 5-3 defeat.
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It leaves the Catalans third in La Liga and already ten points behind current leaders and fierce rivals Real Madrid. Former Man United transfer target Frenkie de Jong was asked for his verdict after the game.
He said: “This can’t happen at a top club. If you come back and you’re 3-2 up, you can’t have that much space on a counter-attack. It wasn’t a good game from our side, but if at some point you go 3-2 up after going 0-2, you can’t lose 3-5. That can’t happen in a top team. If you have experience, it can’t happen.”
The Dutchman added: “Yes, we have full trust in Xavi and his staff. They are doing a good job. It’s the players’ fault, we have all the conditions and if it doesn’t work out it’s our fault.”