Raphinha and Lamine, the lethal couple that devours Aston Villa and rebuilds Barça in the Champions League

Lamine Yamal and Raphinha live football in long drinks, in a hurry, agitated and electric every time they see a defender falter. They test them and, as if they have a superpower, they scan their weaknesses and become lethal. If Fermín's fang is added, they end up easily undressing a rival like Aston Villa that allowed them to keep a clean sheet in Europe 18 games later. [Narrative and statistics: 3-0]

Lamine made Maatsen desperate to soften the game a lot when, after seven minutes, and as a result of devilish pressure in the ball's release, he caught a risky horizontal pass from Joao Gomes to the Dutch full-back. He had made the audacity to watch him from two meters away, as if that were not an excessive risk. He stole and, with a left foot, beat Suzuki.

The advantage, however, did not calm a Barça team that is used to playing in chaos more than is appropriate. Far from maintaining control and adjusting, he gave life to the villains with a back-and-forth duel in which he received scares that Joan Garcia cleared, both with his feet and his hands. Emery's team sensed where the weak Barça defense was tickling and chances arose for Gomes and Cash in corner kicks that Cancelo and Pedri saved.

Nico Jackson and Manzambi were winning races and forcing the culé goalkeeper to come out for the clearance. In the other area, Suzuki was also busy, first with another theft from Pedri in the suffocating pressure in each ball exit that ended with a shot from Gordon. And the reply, almost without respite, was given by Lamine with a pass with the outside that would have left Raphinha hand in hand with the Japanese if the grass wet from the intense rain had allowed him to control. After half an hour, no one was breathing in the Camp Nou, where even the Prince of Wales was, because there was danger in one area and in the opposite.

Manzambi, the left bank, allowed itself to break Cubarsí and force, once again, Joan Garcia to save his left foot. Villa wanted to run and found the spaces, while Raphinha launched himself against the entire defense until he stepped into the small area and found the providential cross of Pau Torres to avoid the second. Nico Jackson put Brian Fariñas to the test, who held his own, while Lamine continued to embitter Maatsen even with a pipe to assist Fermín in depth who, falling to the left, formed a disturbing partnership for the English. Too much vertigo.

Flick's team paused more in the second half, in which they replaced Rodri with Bernal, and in which Fermín soon found Raphinha on the front line to create a left-footed shot that grazed Pau Torres and confused Suzuki. The advantage became greater and Emery moved his bench without being able to do anything to prevent the third from falling. Cancelo outwitted McGinn and served the ball to the Brazilian's foot to score the third. That goal, his 94th as a Barça player, puts him on par with Ronaldinho.