Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 in Champions League as Emery admits work remains
Spain's Barcelona beat England's Aston Villa 3-0 in a Champions League match. Villa manager Unai Emery said his side still have work to do to reach Barcelona's level.
In football's UEFA Champions League, Europe's top club competition, Spanish side Barcelona beat Premier League club Aston Villa of Birmingham 3-0 at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night. The result showed that last season's Europa League winners are not yet at the level needed to win against the five-time European champions and current La Liga leaders.
Villa manager Unai Emery, who turned 55 on Tuesday, wanted to use the game as a barometer of his team's progress. The visitors matched the hosts in the first half, but a poor pass from Joao Gomes allowed Lamine Yamal to score the opener. Villa also failed to convert several chances created by Matty Cash, Gomes and Johan Manzambi. In the second half Raphinha scored for Barcelona, while Leon Goretzka hit the post for Villa.
Barcelona's weakness not exploited
Barcelona were without Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia and Xavi Espart. Twenty-year-old midfielder Brian Farinas made his Champions League debut at right-back. The hosts had not kept a Champions League clean sheet in 18 games, but Villa could not take advantage.
Emery said his team must be more ruthless in the attacking third and suggested 3-0 was more than they deserved. He did not blame Gomes, saying the team had overcome similar mistakes before. His record at the Nou Camp is now 15 defeats in 16 games, and he has won just three of 31 matches against Barcelona. Nine years ago, with Paris St-Germain, he lost 6-1 there and was eliminated despite having won the first leg 4-0.
Villa captain John McGinn said Barcelona made the right decisions at the right moments, but stressed that the team can compete with opponents at this level. Villa visit Manchester United on Sunday.
