Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 in Champions League as Raphinha scores twice

Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 at the Camp Nou in a Champions League league-phase match on Tuesday, ending Villa's perfect start to the competition. Lamine Yamal put the hosts ahead in the seventh minute after a defensive error by Villa, and Raphinha added two goals in the second half. Villa, managed by Unai Emery, had won their opening two fixtures, including a game in Istanbul last week in which they scored six against Fenerbahce. Barcelona, who lost to Paris Saint-Germain in their previous European match, stay in contention for a top-eight finish. The Champions League anthem was not played before kickoff out of respect for Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel, who died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning after a collision in a Spanish second-division game the previous day. Raphinha dedicated the win to fans and sent a message to de Miguel's family. Prince William, 44, and Prince George watched from the directors' box.

The Guardian, on the left, treats the match as a sporting verdict: its headline says Raphinha gave Villa a reality check, and it describes a controlled Barcelona performance in which Villa were held at arm's length. It singles out Pedri's 69 minutes as the real star turn, notes Emery's familiarity with the ground, and describes the half-renovated stadium's debris and holes in the roof. The Daily Mail, on the right, builds its story around the royals. Its headline describes William and George as frustrated figures in the directors' box. It adds William's fandom since Eton, Barcelona's welcome post on X, his trip to Istanbul and Yamal's goal from a defensive howler. Both note the 3-0 scoreline, the rain and the Camp Nou setting. Al Jazeera, among the alternative outlets, stands apart by leading with the de Miguel tribute and quoting Raphinha on it.