Celta Vigo 2-2 Barcelona: Late Mess as 10-Man Barca Get Hit Again

Barcelona had a nightmare evening in LaLiga , blowing a 2-0 lead away to Celta Vigo after coming down to 10 men. The Catalan giants managed just a 2-2 draw against the visiting side at the Estadio Abanca-Balados, despite goals from Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, in their second straight defeat.

Raphinha and Lewandowski Shine Early

The match began with Celta Vigo pushing high and creating early opportunities. Barcelona, however, bounced back from the storm and settled into rhythm. Raphinha came on in the 15th minute, clinching the game with a drilled finish following a deft pass from Jules Kounde. The Brazilian winger’s calm and control provided the perfect balance to what had looked like a decent start to the league champions’ night.

Barcelona doubled their advantage in the second half through Robert Lewandowski . Polish forward exploited poor defending to bag his 15th of the campaign in the 61st minute, extending his LaLiga lead.

Controversy and Collapse

The contest was far from one-sided. Immediately before half-time, Gerard Martin’s rough challenge on Iago Aspas sent the Celta Vigo captain fuming at Martin for his second yellow card. Although Martin was soon replaced to stop him posing further danger, the issues simmered on the field.

Barcelona held on until the 82nd minute, when Marc Casado, who had already been booked, received a second yellow card and reduced Barca to ten men. This dismissal proved a paradigm shift.

Celta Vigo took advantage, heaping pressure on the ball. Two minutes later, substitute Alfonso Gonzalez took advantage of a JULES KUNDE mistake and slotted the ball past goalkeeper Inaki Pena to reduce the lead to two. They smelled blood and, before Barcelona could respond, Hugo Alvarez finished off the comeback with a late strike in the 86th minute.

A Setback for League Leaders

The result ended Barcelona’s 24-game unbeaten LaLiga run of 20 victories and four defeats. Despite the loss of points, they lead the table by 34 points, five clear of Atletico Madrid and seven clear of Real Madrid who have two games left.

This result follows a crushing 1-0 defeat at home to Real Sociedad before the international break, with Hansi Flick’s side in the search of solutions.

Looking Ahead

Barcelona will have to pick themselves up in a hurry in the coming season. With Atletico and Real Madrid in their back pocket, they’ll need to keep things consistent if they want to keep their LaLiga lead.

The return is also an important morale booster for Celta Vigo, who remain at the heart of the mid-table race.