Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona Review
Dani Olmo made headlines by scoring the decisive goal in a comeback win for his new team, Barcelona, which ended Rayo Vallecano’s three-match unbeaten streak at home against them and kept Barça’s perfect record intact this season.
Rayo had previously scored first in their last four encounters and did so again, taking the lead just nine minutes into the match. Their strong start put Barcelona on the defensive as Unai López finished off a cut-back from Jorge de Frutos, finding the net inside Marc-André ter Stegen’s near post. The first half was competitive with several confrontations, but clear scoring opportunities were scarce. Lamine Yamal came closest for the visitors before halftime, with a curling shot that tested Daniel Cárdenas in the closing moments of the half.
A quick exchange between Pedri and Raphinha ended with Pedri scoring his first goal of the season with a tidy finish, setting the stage for an exciting final half-hour. Barcelona kept pressing for more goals, and after 11 minutes of Rayo’s defense holding strong, it appeared Lewandowski had scored, but his close-range effort was disallowed due to a foul in the buildup. As time was running out for Flick’s team, their persistent pressure finally paid off when Olmo expertly controlled Yamal’s pass and placed it in the bottom corner, giving his team a well-deserved lead.
A significantly better performance in the second half ensured victory for the away team, bringing their total to nine points after three matches in La Liga. Interestingly, Barcelona has netted exactly two goals in each of their last six away league games, while not managing to maintain a clean sheet in five of those matches. For Rayo, this marks their third loss in seven home league games for Los Franjirrojos, a trend that dates back to the conclusion of the previous season.
