Barcelona’s name defense was derailed when Villarreal pulled off a sensational 5-3 win in La Liga on Saturday with 3 goals less.
After Real Madrid twice edged Girona atop the league with a win at Las Palmas, Xavi Hernandez’s reigning champions finished third.
In a crucial match, Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach gave Villarreal a two-goal lead. Barcelona responded.
Ilkay Gundogan and Pedri scored before Eric Bailly headed towards his own to give the home side the lead.
However, Goncalo Guedes fired home in the 84th minute before Alexander Sorloth’s stoppage time and Jose Luis Morales left Barcelona ten times opponents of Madrid.
“It wasn’t a smart game, but if you’re losing two goals and then winning 3-2, you can’t reveal it,” Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong told DAZN.
“We have to do it because. . . I don’t think that can happen in the most sensible team. “
Xavi brought in Joao Felix and midfielder Oriol Romeu from the team that lost in extra time to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey in midweek, as well as young defender Hector Fort.
After this elimination and a rout of Madrid in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, Barcelona has La Liga and the Champions League on the table.
Barcelona sensation, 16-year-old Lamine Yamal presented spark and invention on the right, Villarreal was the most damaging team in the first half.
Barcelona have conceded far too many early goals this season and after three minutes Alex Baena struck, but it was ruled out for offside.
Felix saw a fierce shot from Filip Jorgensen before Villarreal were controversially denied the goal.
Moreno lost the ball near the post, but Alexander Sorloth ruled the offside and blocked defender Ronald Araujo.
However, it was the third lucky moment for the Yellow Submarine, with Moreno firing off Sorloth’s cut with aplomb – this time he counted.
Unhappy
As the players struggled to make it to half-time, Barcelona were booed by disgruntled fans at their home of the Stadio Olimpico.
Xavi made a triple substitution at half-time, bringing on Joao Cancelo, Pedri Gonzalez and 17-year-old defender Pau Cubarsi.
That boosted the team by pushing back Villarreal, who conceded a goal in a moment of madness after a serious mistake by Cancelo.
The defender missed the ball, allowing former Barcelona winger Akhomach to gallop towards goal, round Inaki Peña and head home.
Undeterred, Barcelona fought their way back in.
Gundogan finished superbly after Robert Lewandowski deflected the ball from the edge of the box after an hour.
Then, eight minutes later, Pedri went home to score the scoring, before Bailly headed a Gundogan free-kick into his own net.
Barcelona substitute Vitor Roque had a fourth, but Jorgensen kept his shot low after running behind.
However, Barcelona’s defense, a far cry from the solid defensive line that led them to win the title last season, once again had to face off through Sorloth.
The striker fed winger Guedes, who fired past Peña and into the corner.
Barcelona were awarded a penalty in the 90th minute when Santi Comesaña elbowed a cross from Gundogan, which was disallowed by the referee after a VAR review of the incident, leaving the home side furious.
The worst is yet to come, with Sorloth completing from a narrow diversity to give Villarreal the lead and Morales rubbing salt in the wound with a fifth-fifth, with Barcelona in complete disarray.
It’s Villarreal’s first win in five games in all competitions and coach Marcelino’s first win over Barcelona in 21 games.
“It’s time for us to enjoy so much joy,” Moreno said.
“It’s been a season and the fans deserved something like that. “