Villarreal fought back to achieve a notable 3-2 victory over La Liga champions Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, May 18, 2025, securing their own place in next season’s Champions League and simultaneously dampening the hosts’ planned title celebration. The defeat was Barcelona’s first in league play since late December.
Barcelona had already clinched their 28th La Liga title on Thursday with a 2-0 win at Espanyol, making Sunday’s home fixture an occasion for supporters to celebrate and witness the presentation of the league trophy. However, Villarreal proved to be formidable opponents.
The visitors took an early lead when former Newcastle and Leicester forward Ayoze Perez found the net from a counter-attack in the fourth minute. Barcelona responded before the interval, with teenage winger Lamine Yamal equalising in the 38th minute with a well-taken curling strike. Fermin Lopez then gave the Catalan side a 2-1 lead with a shot from the edge of the penalty area in first-half stoppage time.
Villarreal mounted a determined comeback in the second half. Santi Comesana levelled the scores five minutes after the break. The winning goal came in the 80th minute when Canadian international Tajon Buchanan converted a cross from Gerard Moreno, a result that confirmed Villarreal’s top-five finish and a Champions League berth.
Despite the unexpected loss, Barcelona proceeded with their championship celebrations. Speaking to DAZN, Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez commented, “I think Villarreal played a good game… but what matters is that we are champions. I’m happy to have scored a goal, although it didn’t help us to grab another win that we really wanted. However, the important thing is that we’ve won the league and that’s it, we deserve it and let’s keep the celebration going.”
Ahead of the final weekend of the La Liga campaign, champions Barcelona top the standings with 85 points. Real Madrid are second with 81 points, followed by Atletico Madrid on 73 points. Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal, both on 70 points, complete the top five teams who will represent Spain in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League.
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