Gordon's early strike fuels Barca surge as Real limp to narrow Villareal win
Anthony Gordon’s second‑minute opener helped Barcelona extend their perfect La Liga start, while Real Madrid scraped a 1‑0 win at Villarreal despite finishing with ten men, leaving the champions six points clear at the top.
Barca’s dominant start
Gordon, the English youngster who joined this summer, netted his first Barcelona goal after a low, deflected effort that beat three defenders. Gabriel Jesus added a second after half an hour, receiving a pass from defender Zaid Romero who had turned the ball over in his own box. Jules Kounde completed the scoring, tapping home a cross from Lamine Yamal to make it 3‑0.
Barcelona have now won nine consecutive matches across all competitions and sit five points ahead of second‑place Atletico Madrid. They were without top scorer Raphinha, sidelined with a hamstring injury sustained during the international break, prompting coach Xavi to replace him with former Arsenal striker Jesus.
“Being at Barca is a dream … playing with these players is very easy too, everyone plays very well,” Jesus said after his first start and third goal for the club. “That makes it easier for me as a striker, to have chances and I’m ready to score the goals. But I hope Rafa can recover quickly because the team miss him.”
Jesus steps in for Raphinha as Barcelona maintain perfect Liga run
Real’s narrow escape
Real Madrid’s record €140‑million signing Yan Diomande scored his first goal for the club, giving Los Blancos a 1‑0 lead over Villarreal. Vinícius Júnior, who had come on as a substitute, saw his goal ruled out and was then sent off for pulling the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba, a decision confirmed by VAR.
Vinícius posted an apology on Instagram, writing “Sorry to my team and the fans.” Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni remarked, “I don’t know what’s going on with the referees, with this red card, I don’t understand, but the most important thing is the victory.” Mourinho declined to attend his post‑match press conference in protest at the refereeing, a club source said.
The red card puts Vinícius at risk of missing the upcoming El Clásico on 25 October. Diomande’s goal kept Real third in the table, still trailing Barcelona by six points.
Mourinho skips post‑match press conference after Real Madrid’s 1‑0 win to avoid possible suspension
The report appeared in the News Corner Editorial section of the AFP PHOTO gallery, complete with the usual JOBS ABOUT privacy notice and Politics, Sports, Football, Basketball, Motorsports and Tennis tags. It sits alongside coverage of War on Terror and EU affairs in the publication, credited to Agence France‑Presse and AFP, with a photo by AFP in Barcelona.