
<p>Robert Lewandowski scored the winner as Barcelona beat Villarreal 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller in the La Liga on Sunday evening. </p>



<p>A topsy-turvy game saw Barcelona take a two-goal advantage in the first fifteen minutes before the home side responded to make it 3-2 early in the second half. </p>



<p>Xavi’s men scored twice in four minutes to grab all three points in a perfect advertisement for attacking football from both sides.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">COMEBACK WIN!! 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/vYnvrok9t8">pic.twitter.com/vYnvrok9t8</a></p>— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/1695850829075374535?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h5>Gavi opened the scoring</h5>



<p>Despite Villarreal starting well, it was Gavi who opened the scoring on the day in the 12<sup>th</sup> minute. </p>



<p>Yamine Lamal played a wonderful deep cross from which Gavi nodded in to give Barcelona the goal against the run of play.</p>



<p>Three minutes later, Frenkie De Jong finished off a wonderful team move as the Blaugrana were in complete control of the proceedings.</p>



<p>Argentine defender Juan Foyth pulled a goal back for the hosts with a thumping header from a corner that left Marc-Andre ter Stegen no chance between the goalposts. </p>



<p>Five minutes before halftime, the El Madrigal went into elation as the hosts equalized. </p>



<h5>Tied at halftime</h5>



<p>Alexander Sorloth finished from close range as both sides headed into halftime tied at two apiece.</p>



<p>Villarreal completed the comeback in the 50<sup>th</sup> minute. Alex Baena steered his first time effort right into the bottom corner past ter Stegen as Villarreal looked to have turned the game on its head. </p>



<p>However, Xavi’s side refused to be beaten and the reigning Champions showed their gusto as they pulled level in the 68<sup>th</sup> minute.</p>



<p>Substitute Ferran Torres made it 3-3 with a well taken side foot finish before <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/08/12/barcelona-finally-register-lewandowski-on-eve-of-new-season/">Lewandowski </a>finished the comeback three minutes later. </p>



<p>The Polish striker reacted first to latch on to a loose ball in the penalty box and finished with ease to give his side a huge three points on the day.</p>



<p>Ba<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/barcelona-tv-schedule/">rcelona</a>, buoyed by the result, will <a href="https://www.skysports.com/la-liga-fixtures" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">travel to Osasuna</a> next weekend. Villarreal will look to bounce back from this narrow loss as they take on Cadiz.</p>



<p>Photo credit: IMAGO / nogueirafoto</p>


Barcelona down Villarreal in seven goal thriller

Robert Lewandowski scored the winner as Barcelona beat Villareal 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller in the La Liga on Sunday evening.

Barcelona down Villarreal in seven goal thriller - World Soccer Talk

<p></p><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Major League Soccer and Spanish club Villarreal have agreed to a fee for the transfer of New York Red Bulls striker Jozy Altidore. The final price, <a href="http:\/\/web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20080604&amp;content_id=163293&amp;vkey=news_mls&amp;fext=.jsp">not reported in the official MLS announcement</a>, will reportedly be a record for a US-developed player — $10 million USD.<p></p>
<p>Villarreal finished 8 points behind La Liga champions Real Madrid. That finish earned Villarreal an automatic berth in next season’s Champions League group stage. How much of that Altidore will experience, however, is uncertain. <a href="http:\/\/www.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/1a_division/villarreal/es/desarrollo/1131118.html">According to Spanish sports daily Marca</a>, Villarreal have plans to loan the 18-year-old Altidore to  Recreativo de Huelva, who finished 16th in Spain’s top flight last season.<br>
<br>
Altidore’s $10 million transfer fee is a record for an American player, surpassing the $5 million paid by Fulham for Eddie Johnson. Fulham reportedly paid $4 million for Clint Dempsey. It is also rumoured that the fee could end up being more, depending on Altidore’s performance and whether Altidore is subsequently sold by Villarreal. A part of the transfer money is likely to be distributed from MLS to the Red Bulls for player development, which the club could use to obtain new players once the league’s transfer period begins on July 15. The MLS league office ‘owns’ the vast majority of the player contracts and negotiates transfers for players. They then redistribute funds as they deem appropriate.</p>
<p>The 18-year-old Altidore, whose speed, strength, finishing ability and potential have already made him a star in the United States, must still negotiate a contract with Villareal and pass a medical exam to complete the transfer. Altidore has been a mainstay for the Under-23 team and he is expected to be a major part of the U.S. Olympic team’s campaign in Beijing. However, a move to Villarreal may jeopardize his availability should his new club refused to release him for the tournament.</p>
<p>Altidore, who is of Haitian descent but grew up in Florida, has also impressed at the international level for the United States senior national team. He made his debut for the senior national team as a substitute in a game in South Africa late last year, and he scored a dramatic header against Mexico on Feb. 6 of this year.</p>
<p>Altidore made his professional debut for the Red Bulls in 2006 and scored 18 goals in 29 games in his first two seasons. This year, with the Red Bulls off to a mediocre start (3-3-3), though Altidore still leads his team with three goals in eight appearances.</p>
<p>The deal had been rumored for weeks, and there had been speculation that MLS had received offers from other European clubs. Reading of the English Premier League were interested during the January transfer window and Altidore has been observed in the past by scouts from some of the world’s top clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see Altidore’s career progression should the transfer go through. If he stays with the team and is not loaned out, will he play a part in Villareal’s Champions League campaign or will he be a squad player? While he has mentioned he wanted to move to a European club, the amount of playing time he would receive was an issue for Altidore, as the prospect of going to a big club just to sit on the bench (as has happened to Freddy Adu) had little or no appeal.</p>

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Barcelona down Villarreal in seven goal thriller

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Villarreal Agree Fee For Jozy Altidore