Barcelona returned to motion from the worldwide break and have briefly elevated their lead on the high of the La Liga desk to seven factors due to a wild 2-2 draw away to Celta Vigo at Balaídos on Saturday night time. Barça weren’t even near their finest and nonetheless discovered themselves up two targets on the hour mark, however went right down to 10 males and gave away the lead late to drop two massive factors on the highway.
FIRST HALF
Celta made an excellent begin, with Iago Aspas lacking an enormous probability simply three minutes in and the house group placing actual stress on Barça’s buildup, forcing the Blaugrana into dangerous passes in midfield and fairly just a few harmful attacking journeys when the Catalans’ offside entice didn’t work.
However the away facet weathered the early storm and had been capable of take the lead within the fifteenth minute, when a mistake by Óscar Mingueza put Raphinha via and the Brazilian discovered the again of the online to place Barça in entrance. The guests performed properly after going forward, with good passing and motion within the closing third, however couldn’t create ok possibilities to attain a second.
In the meantime Celta remained a hazard regardless of going behind, with lengthy balls from the again beating the Barça offside entice and creating much more harmful assaults that wanted some key interventions by Iñaki Peña and the center-back duo of Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez.
Barça left-back Gerard Martín, who had an early yellow card, virtually bought himself despatched off when he introduced down Aspas contained in the field, however he and Barça had been very fortunate that the referee didn’t level to the spot and denied the hosts a reasonably robust penalty shout.
Martín was the story of the remainder of the interval because the younger defender was focused time and time once more, and it was his sort out on Aspas on the final play of the half that when once more went unpunished and despatched each the Celta captain and the house crowd into an absolute frenzy, and set the stage for a really tense second half because the halftime whistle got here to finish a fully chaotic opening interval.
SECOND HALF
Hansi Flick seemed to unravel the Gerard Martín drawback by taking off the left-back at halftime, changing him with Héctor Fort and hoping that the younger right-footed full-back may play the function properly within the closing interval.
Fort did simply that, taking part in with poise with and with out the ball, however the remainder of his teammates continued to wrestle to maintain possession as the sport remained extensive open with fixed turnovers of possession and scary moments for the Barça protection denied both by well timed particular person interventions or the offside flag.
Then on the hour mark got here a much-needed sigh of aid for the guests: Mingueza gave the ball away to Raphinha in midfield, and the Brazilian discovered Robert Lewandowski who was capable of battle off a problem from Javi Rodríguez and go the ball into the online to double the Barça lead at a vital second within the sport.
Celta weren’t executed but and saved going ahead searching for a approach again within the sport, and Hugo Álvarez had a monster one-on-one probability that was denied by an excellent save from Iñaki Peña. The motion stayed forwards and backwards with no semblance of management from both facet, and chaos continued to reign supreme as we reached the ultimate 20 minutes.
Barça virtually clinched the win when Raphinha discovered himself on their lonesome contained in the field, however his proper foot shot in some way hit each the within of the submit and the again of the goalkeeper and stayed out. Flick inserted Frenkie de Jong and Fermín López trying so as to add extra management and contemporary legs in his midfield, and Barça had been absolutely invested in securing the win and the clear sheet coming into the final 10 minutes.
Then rapidly the sport fully shifted in a span of 4 minutes: first Barça discovered themselves right down to 10 males as Marc Casadó was proven a second yellow for a tactical foul on Ilaix Moriba, and 90 seconds after that Alfon González was given a present due to an terrible mistake by Jules Kounde and introduced Celta and the gang again in.
Two minutes after that, Kounde made one other error by conserving Borja Iglesias onside, and that began a transfer that ended with an ideal dribble and end by Álvarez to equalize and arrange a wild ending.
Neither group managed to create a late probability to win it on the dying, and the ultimate whistle got here to offer both sides some extent in what looks like a good end result given what we noticed on the night time. Celta had been wonderful, Barça weren’t nice however took their possibilities, and each groups placed on fairly the wild present.
However talking from a Barça perspective, this isn’t a great end result in any respect. This was one other poor efficiency with out Lamine Yamal, which is a priority, and Actual Madrid now have two video games in hand and may minimize Barça’s lead on the high of the desk to 4 factors with a win on Sunday, which is one other concern.
Barça want a powerful victory in opposition to Brest within the Champions League in midweek greater than ever, or the noise will start to extend because the group has now struggled for a second sport in a row.
Celta Vigo: Guaita; Rodríguez, Starfelt, Alonso, Mingueza; Álvarez, Beltrán (Sotelo 75’), Moriba, Bamba (Alfon 62’); Aspas (Durán 90’), Douvikas (Iglesias 75’)
Objectives: Alfon (84’), Álvarez (86’)
Barcelona: Peña; Kounde, Cubarsí, Iñigo, Martín (Fort 46’); Pedri (Fermín 75’), Casadó, Gavi (De Jong 75’); Raphinha, Lewandowski (Víctor 89’), Olmo (Torre 89’)
Objectives: Raphinha (15’), Lewandowski (61’)
Crimson Card: Casadó (82’)