Celta Vigo vs Barcelona Review
A pair of quick late goals allowed Celta Vigo to come back from a two-goal deficit and secure a 2-2 draw against Barcelona at the Estadio de Balaídos, marking the first draw of the season for the Catalan team. After a controversial defeat to Real Sociedad before the international break, Barça aimed to recover but faced tough competition from Celta, where they had only managed two wins in their last 10 visits (with 4 draws and 4 losses) before this match.
The home team started strong, creating two opportunities within the first five minutes. The first chance came when Iago Aspas was found unmarked in the box, but the Celta captain missed the target, and Anastasios Douvikas also failed to score with a close-range header. The hosts were punished for their early missed chances when Barça took the lead in the 15th minute. A long pass from Jules Kounde found Raphinha, who made an impressive cutback before scoring. Claudio Giráldez’s team continued to press and managed to penetrate Barcelona’s defense several times after going behind.
Robert Lewandowski found the net before halftime, but his chip over Vicente Guaita was disallowed for offside. It wasn’t until the 61st minute that the first shot on target of the second half occurred, and Lewandowski made it count, extending Barça’s lead. Raphinha won the ball at midfield and set up the Polish striker, who scored after deflecting the ball off a Celta defender. Alfonso González had a chance to reduce the deficit shortly after, but his shot from the left was easily saved by Iñaki Peña. Raphinha nearly sealed the game in the 77th minute when Dani Olmo set him up, but his shot hit the post.
Just when Barça seemed to be in control, a chaotic four minutes changed the game completely. First, Marc Casadó received a red card in the 82nd minute for a second yellow. Celta quickly capitalized on their numerical advantage, narrowing the gap when González stole the ball from Koundé and scored. Remarkably, the home team equalized shortly after, as Álvarez displayed remarkable poise to maneuver and slot the ball into the far corner.
Clearly rattled, Barça struggled to hold on for a draw, while Celta ended the match on a high note. Once again, the Blaugrana faced difficulties in Vigo, giving Real Madrid a chance to reduce the gap when they play Leganés on Sunday. Celta is now unbeaten in four matches and will face another Catalan team next week as they head to Espanyol.
