Champions League: Barcelona rout Aston Villa, PSG keep winning

A rout at Camp Nou and the tournament leaders

On the evening of November 3, the fourth round of the Champions League league phase took place, featuring nine matches. According to Kun.uz, PSG have won all four of their games in the tournament and top the table, Barcelona secured a big win over Aston Villa in a match that was expected to be difficult, while Bayern, after two consecutive draws, won in Madrid and solidified their place in the strong top eight.

How the match in Barcelona unfolded

Barcelona — Aston Villa ended 3:0. The goals were scored by Yamal in the 7th minute and Raphinha in the 52nd and 64th. The outcome was largely decided by a rough error from the visitors' defense: in the seventh minute, Gómez, coming out of defense, carelessly passed the ball sideways, Yamal intercepted it and struck accurately from distance. Villa's defenders never learned the lesson of Barcelona's pressing and kept playing out from the back: in the 26th minute, goalkeeper Suzuki, surrounded by three opponents, nearly conceded a second goal.

Yamal overtakes Mbappé

With his goal against Aston Villa, 19-year-old Yamal overtook Mbappé in the number of Champions League goals scored before turning 20 — 14 versus 13. According to the outlet, the winger is going through an extremely productive spell this season: in 18 matches for Barcelona and the national team he has 17 goals and 12 assists, including three goals and four assists in four Champions League games.

Context of Barcelona's form

Notably, the rout of Villa contrasts with the Catalans' results against top opponents: according to the outlet, within one week the team lost to PSG and Real Madrid, although against relatively modest opponents this season they dispatch them with ease and score as many goals as they want. Aston Villa, under Unai Emery, were considered a competitive opponent, but offered no resistance.