In the third round of the Spanish Championship, Barcelona played an away match against Rayo Vallecano at the stadium in Madrid. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.
In the previous two away games, the Catalans scored three goals each against Mallorca and Levante, but they did not concede any goals in the first match and conceded two goals in the second. Rayo Vallecano is considered a strong and tough opponent on their home ground.
It was wrong to expect an easy victory for Barcelona in the Madrid match, but it was evident that the Catalans were not sufficiently prepared on the field. At the beginning of the game, Barcelona missed several opportunities.
Yamal's powerful shot was saved by goalkeeper Batalla, and Rafinha could not deliver an accurate shot towards the goal after a pass from Unai Lopez. Then Rayo intensified their attack.
Alberto Garcia found space on the left wing and passed to Ratiu, but his close-range shot was blocked by Joan Garcia. Barcelona, however, failed to effectively stop the opponent's attacks, gaps appeared in defense, and the central defensive line weakened.
Nevertheless, before the break, the high level of the Catalans showed itself. Especially Yamal played well.
He held the ball among the opposing defenders, was harshly stopped by the opponent in the penalty area, and the referee awarded a penalty. Yamal successfully converted the penalty, putting his team ahead.
Rayo tried to maintain the draw in the first half but failed to deliver accurate shots on goal. At the start of the second half, Barcelona again missed several chances.
Later, Rayo Vallecano's forwards attacked from the left wing, and De Frutos came close to scoring, but an offside was called. After that, from a corner kick taken from the right wing, Fran Perez accurately placed the ball in the far corner of the goal, equalizing the score.
In the final minutes of the game, Barcelona's defense was threatened several times, but Joan Garcia protected the goal and did not allow the opponents to score. The Catalans tried to intensify their attacks, but the result did not change.
The team coached by Frenk Flick did not leave a good impression in the match and were limited to just one point. With this result, Barcelona lost points in La Liga for the first time.
Currently, Real Madrid has a two-point advantage, and Athletic Bilbao holds top positions in the competition with nine points. This match was a tough test for Barcelona, and the team's defensive weaknesses were clearly visible.
