FC Barcelona faced Celta Vigo at their home stadium. While many believed the game would be a walk in the park for the team currently leading La Liga, the match turned out to be anything but. A lackluster first half and Celta’s hat-trick provided a perfect opportunity for one of Barca’s classic comebacks.
The game began well for Barcelona. Twelve minutes after the ball appeared on the field, Ferran Torres scored a beautiful goal. He dribbled past Celta’s players and managed a shot that was all but unsavable for the team’s goalkeeper. Barca’s happiness was short-lived. Only three minutes later, Celta countered and equalised the score due to the efforts of Borja Iglesias. The count was 1:1, and it would stay there until the end of the first half.
The game picked up speed when the players returned to the field. Only a few minutes after the second half began, Iglesias scored again. He found the cracks in Barcelona’s defense and put the ball in Wojciech Szczęsny’s net. Ten minutes later, he cemented himself as Celta’s man of the match. He raced through the field and found himself alone with Szczęsny. He defeated the Polish goalkeeper and secured a hat-trick against the leaders of La Liga.
The situation looked dire for Barcelona. If they lost the game, they could see their advantage over Real Madrid melt away, putting their chances of winning the league in jeopardy.
With the score standing at 1:3, Barcelona needed a quick answer. That was exactly what they got when Dani Olmo received the ball from Raphinha and put it in Celta’s net. Before the stadium could settle down after the goal, Barcelona scored once more, equalising the score. This time, it was Raphinha’s header that made the fans scream in excitement. With a little over twenty minutes left in the game, Barcelona was set to walk away with one point.
The score didn’t change for the rest of regular time, despite Flick’s many substitutions. To add insult to injury, Robert Lewandowski had to be subbed after he went on the ground, cluthing his left hamstring. The unexpected injury can lead to him missing the Copa del Rey final and the Champions League semifinals.
Barcelona’s saving grace came in the added time. A VAR check revealed that Olmo was tripped by Celta’s goal, and a penalty was awarded to the Catalan team. Raphinha easily converted it into a goal, putting his team in the lead and killing Celta’s hopes of walking away with any points.
Not for the first time this season, Barcelona showed how good they are at chasing the score. Despite the situation looking quite dramatic at the beginning of the second half, they pushed forward and put their all into the game. Their efforts earned them an additional three points in the La Liga standings, putting their total at 73. They are currently seven points ahead of Real Madrid, but that can change after the game Real will play against Athletic Club later today.
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