May 18, (THEWILL) – Barcelona experienced their first league defeat of 2025 as Villarreal claimed a 3-2 victory at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in what was the Catalan club’s final home fixture of the season. Despite receiving a guard of honour as the newly-crowned La Liga champions, Barcelona were unable to maintain their unbeaten league record this calendar year.
Villarreal opened the scoring when Nicolas Pépé found Ayoze Pérez who finished calmly to silence the home crowd. Barcelona responded before half-time with Lamine Yamal curling a precise shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box, followed by Fermín López firing home from outside the area to give the hosts a 2-1 advantage at the break.
The visitors equalised five minutes into the second half through Santiago Comesaña, who chipped the ball over Marc-André ter Stegen. Following a period with few scoring opportunities, Tajon Buchanan restored Villarreal’s lead in the 80th minute, controlling a low cross before dispatching a powerful shot beyond the Barcelona goalkeeper.
Despite their efforts, Barcelona could not mount another comeback, resulting in their first La Liga loss of 2025. The defeat did not dampen the championship celebrations, however, as players and supporters continued the festivities after the final whistle, lifting the La Liga trophy in their temporary home stadium.
Barcelona will return to the renovated Camp Nou next season, bringing an end to their tenure at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. The match was a bittersweet conclusion to their home campaign, combining the disappointment of defeat with the joy of collecting their league title.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
