Barcelona Beats Villarreal 2-0 at Cerámica in La Liga Clash
Barcelona defeated Villarreal 2-0 at Villarreal's Cerámica stadium, a match that was initially planned to be relocated to Miami but ultimately played in Spain. Renato Veiga was sent off in the first half for a foul on Lamine Yamal, leaving Villarreal with 10 men. Barcelona took advantage in the second half with Raphinha converting a penalty and Lamine Yamal scoring the second goal. Villarreal created multiple first-half opportunities, including near misses by Pépé and Buchanan, and a shot from Raphinha that hit the bar. Despite missing nine players, Villarreal had a strong season, with their first home defeat in 14 league matches ending during this game. Barcelona extended their winning streak to eight matches since the Clasico and became winter champions with 46 points from 18 games. The match also highlighted La Liga president Javier Tebas's unsuccessful attempt to move league games to the US, facing opposition from clubs like Real Madrid. Post-match, Villarreal's coach Marcelino commented that Veiga's red card could have been a different color and described Raphinha's penalty as soft.
