Samuel Chukwueze - Villarreal celebrate vs BarcelonaGetty Images

Chukwueze opens La Liga goal account in Villarreal's loss to Barcelona

Samuel Chukwueze scored his maiden La Liga goal of the season in Villarreal’s 3-1 defeat to Barcelona on Saturday.

The Super Eagles winger came off the bench in the second half to score the hosts’ only goal in the 76th minute, after he replaced Yeremi Pino in the 65th minute.

However, goals from Frenkie de Jong, Memphis Depay and Philippe Coutinho steered Barcelona to their sixth league victory in the 2021-22 campaign while Villarreal suffered their fourth league loss of the season.

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Chukwueze recently recovered from a thigh injury he suffered during a Uefa Europa League match against Arsenal last season and the last time he scored a league goal was on April 18 in Villarreal's 5-1 thrashing of Levante.

The 22-year-old benefitted from Arnaut Danjuma's assist in the 76th minute to cancel out the Blaugrana's opener but late goals from Depay and Coutinho sealed maximum points for the visitors at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Chukwueze is yet to start a league game this campaign and Saturday's outing was his sixth substitute appearance for Villarreal, who are 12th on the league table with 16 points from 14 matches.

This season, the Nigeria winger has scored two goals in all competitions for Unai Emery’s side who have failed to win their last three matches.

While Chukwueze played some minutes in the game, Senegal striker Boulaye Dia and Algeria defender Aissa Mandi were unused substitutes for Villarreal.

Following Saturday's disappointing home loss, Chukwueze and Villarreal will be expected to shift their attention to Tuesday's Copa del Rey encounter against fifth-tier club Victoria CF on November 30.

After the cup outing, the Yellow Submarine will visit Sevilla for their next La Liga match on December 4, before concluding their Champions League group games with an away fixture against Atalanta on December 8.

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