Barcelona turn Nou Camp into nightmare for Unai Emery's Aston Villa
Under the floodlights of the Nou Camp, Barcelona turned the night into a nightmare for Unai Emery's Aston Villa, delivering a dominant Champions League performance. The Spaniards struck early through Lamine Yamal and later added a second‑half double from Raphinha to seal a 3‑0 victory.
The match took place at 01pm on 3 November 2026 and saw Barcelona win 3‑0 in the Champions League group stage. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the seventh minute, finishing from 12 yards after a Joao Gomes pass. Raphinha completed the rout with goals in the 52nd and 64th minutes, bringing his season tally to 19 in 13 games. The win coincided with Unai Emery's 55th birthday, which he was unlikely to celebrate.
Emery has now lost 15 of his 16 visits to the Nou Camp, including the famous 2017 Remontada when his PSG side surrendered a 4‑0 first‑leg lead. The match was watched by Prince William, who attended as a super fan. Despite the defeat, Villa remain unbeaten in the group phase and are still considered a good bet for a top‑eight finish.
Early strike and Villa's missed chances
Joao Gomes' blind pass found Lamine Yamal, who whipped the ball into the corner from 12 yards to give Barcelona the lead. A Aston Villa response produced several chances: Matty Cash's corner was deflected wide, and a second delivery to Joao Gomes was blocked by Joao Cancelo. Nicolas Jackson raced down the right in the 19th minute, setting up Johan Manzambi whose shot went wide, and his subsequent effort was tackled by the on‑rushing Barcelona goalkeeper. Zion Suzuki later saved Anthony Gordon's effort, while Manzambi's surge into the box was met by a solid save from Garcia.
Barcelona host Aston Villa in Champions League
In the second half, Fermin Lopez supplied Raphinha on the edge of the box, the ball ricocheting off Pau Torres' heel before finding the net in the 52nd minute. Twelve minutes later, Joao Cancelo cleared John McGinn and delivered a precise pass to Raphinha, who finished calmly from six yards. Leon Goretzka's glancing header struck the post as Villa pressed for a reply.
A poor pass from Zion Suzuki again put Boubacar Kamara under pressure, but the Japan international denied Fermin Lopez's follow‑up shot. Villa's attempts continued, yet each missed chance proved decisive as Barcelona held firm.
Lamine Yamal's goal made him the highest‑scoring teenager in Champions League history. The result underscores Barcelona's attacking fluency this season, while Villa must regroup ahead of their next group match.
PSG set Champions League record as Villarreal crumble in Paris
The coverage also mentioned Golf, Horse, Video Review, Podcasts, Sport, Rugby and Extra content from the Football Family platform. The accompanying image is credited to Alamy Stock Photo, and readers can share the story via Email or see more Stories on the website.