Lewandowski and Raphinha Shine, but Barca Concerned About Goalkeeper’s Condition
Barcelona cruised to a dominant 5-1 victory over Villarreal on Sunday, with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha each scoring twice. However, the win was overshadowed by a potentially serious knee injury to goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who was stretchered off during the first half at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
The German international fell awkwardly after collecting a cross, prompting fears that he could miss the remainder of the season.
Villarreal briefly fought back, with Ayoze Perez reducing the deficit before half-time. The hosts continued to press, but had two goals disallowed in a frustrating night for Marcelino Garcia Toral’s side. Pablo Torre restored Barcelona’s cushion with a deflected strike, while Raphinha added two more goals in the final minutes to seal the victory.
“It’s very important for us that we played away from home, scored five goals, and secured three points,” said Lewandowski. “In the end, it doesn’t matter how we win, as long as we win.”
Barcelona’s victory was tempered by the injury to their captain, Ter Stegen. The shot-stopper made a crucial save to deny Nicolas Pepe before being forced off. Raphinha dedicated the win to his injured teammate, saying, “(Ter Stegen) is a very special and important person in the dressing room. This victory is 100 percent for him.”
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois expressed his sympathy on social media, writing, “It hurt me a lot to see you leave the pitch like that. I hope you can recover soon and we see you again in goal.”
In other La Liga action, Atletico Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Rayo Vallecano in a fiercely contested Madrid derby. Isi Palazon gave Rayo the lead in the 35th minute, his goal eventually confirmed after initially being ruled offside. Conor Gallagher equalized for Atletico early in the second half, finishing neatly from the edge of the box. Despite several opportunities, Diego Simeone’s side could not find a winner and dropped to fourth place in the standings.
Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao moved up to third after a 3-1 victory over Celta Vigo, overtaking Atletico in the process.
Barcelona will now anxiously await further news on Ter Stegen’s condition as they look to maintain their lead in La Liga.
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