Lamine Yamal hits hat-trick as Barcelona beat Villarreal 4-1 in La Liga

Barcelona have 64 points while ⁠second-placed Real are on 60 points ​ahead of hosting Getafe on Monday.Published On 28 Feb 2026Lamine ‌Yamal scored the first hat-trick of his ⁠career as ⁠Barcelona beat visitors Villarreal 4-1 in La Liga on Saturday to move four points ⁠clear of Real Madrid at the top of the standings.Barcelona have 64 points while ⁠second-placed Real are on 60 points ahead of their home game against Getafe on Monday. Villarreal remain a distant third on 51.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Senegal prime minister decries Morocco’s jailing of fans after AFCON finallist 2 of 4FIFA’s Infantino plays down World Cup concerns despite violence in Mexicolist 3 of 4Real Madrid bans club member over Nazi salute during Benfica matchlist 4 of 4Arsenal host London rivals Chelsea with City breathing down their necksend of listYamal put the ‌hosts ahead in the 28th minute after Fermin Lopez robbed Pape Gueye and slipped a pass down the right for the 18-year-old to finish low inside the left post.He doubled the lead nine minutes later with ⁠a dazzling solo run, controlling ⁠a long ball on the right wing before cutting inside past Sergi Cardona and Alvaro Moleiro to curl an ⁠unstoppable shot into the top corner.Gueye pulled one back from ⁠close range in the 49th ⁠minute, but Villarreal missed chances to equalise and paid the price as Yamal completed his hat-trick in the 69th minute ‌with another counterattack.Robert Lewandowski came off the bench to add a fourth in added ‌time, ‌tapping in from Jules Kounde’s low cross from the right.Lamal said he was delighted personally and for the team with the win.“I think Villarreal are a really good team, who are third [in the standings]. I am very happy with our win and my goals,” he told reporters after the game.Asked about his spectacular second goal, he said, “When I have the ball, I decide where we are going, so I waited for the defender to go one way and I went the other.”