Barcelona faced another setback, proving it's not a championship-level team, as it conceded twice in stoppage time, losing a thrilling 5-3 match against Villarreal in front of its shocked fans on Saturday.
In one of the most unpredictable games of the season, Villarreal took a 2-0 lead, only for Barcelona to roar back with three goals in a 12-minute span, leading 3-2 in the 72nd minute.
However, Barcelona's defense once again let them down, allowing a late equalizer by new Villarreal arrival Goncalo Guedes in the 84th minute. Striker Alexander Sorloth, who also contributed to two goals, then secured the victory in stoppage time, and José Morales added to Barcelona's woes.
Barcelona was attempting to recover in La Liga after its elimination from the Copa del Rey against Athletic Bilbao earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid rallied to a 2-1 victory against Las Palmas, reclaiming the league lead and creating a 10-point gap over Barcelona in third place.
Xavi, Barcelona's coach, expressed his disappointment, stating, "This is a huge blow. We lost this game because of our mistakes. Today is difficult to digest for me as a coach but also for my players, who are all feeling really bad. We did the hardest part, which was to turn it around, and we even had more chances to score, but that was when our problems started. We are paying a heavy price for our mistakes this season."
Despite goals from Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach, Barcelona managed to pull one back with Ilkay Gundogan in the 60th minute. Substitute Pedri González added another before an own goal by Eric Baily put the hosts ahead.
Barcelona seemed close to sealing the victory with a fourth goal, but Sorloth set up Guedes, leading to a 3-3 score. The Norway striker then put Villarreal back in front after Barcelona failed to clear the ball from its area.
"If you are losing 0-2 and then go up 3-2, you cannot give it away and lose like that," said Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. "This cannot happen to an elite team."
Cancelo, like De Jong, supported Xavi and tried to take the blame as players.
"It truly was a disaster," Cancelo admitted. "Those were the worst 45 minutes of my career."
With an injured goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Barcelona's defense struggled in January, facing defeats against Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup and Bilbao in the Copa del Rey.
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