Barcelona beats Aston Villa 3-0 to move second in Champions League

Barcelona defeated Aston Villa 3-0 at the Spotify Camp Nou on November 3, 2026, in a Champions League league phase match that saw the hosts move above Villa into second place in the standings. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the seventh minute after Aston Villa midfielder Joao Gomes played a poor pass across his own penalty area under intense Barcelona pressing. Yamal curled his shot into the far corner, marking his 14th Champions League goal and breaking Kylian Mbappé's previous record of 13 for a teenage player in the competition.

Barcelona's dominance increased in the second half. Fermín López provided a key pass for Raphinha to reduce the margin to 2-0 in the 52nd minute with a low shot that deflected off Pau Torres and past goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. Raphinha added a third goal in the 64th minute after an assist from Joao Cancelo's outside-of-the-boot cross from the left wing. Aston Villa had created chances in the first half, with efforts from Matty Cash, Victor Lindelof, and Johan Manzambi going begging, but Barcelona's clinical finishing in the second half ended any prospect of a comeback.

The victory gave Barcelona nine points from four matches and represented a bounce-back after their previous 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Aston Villa's three-game winning run in the competition came to an end, leaving them also with nine points but in a lower position. Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia recorded his first Champions League clean sheet in 19 games. Manager Hansi Flick confirmed at full-time that midfielder Rodri Hernández had been withdrawn at half-time due to muscular discomfort and would require medical examination.

The Champions League anthem was not played before the match in honor of Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel, who died on the morning of the match following an on-pitch collision during a Spanish second division game the previous day. Raphinha, who scored twice, chose not to discuss the match in post-game interviews, instead dedicating the win to de Miguel's family. The match took place in heavy rain at the Camp Nou.