Barcelona Stumble Late Against Celta Vigo, Settle for 2-2 Draw

Barcelona’s hopes of extending their lead in La Liga were dashed on Saturday after a dramatic late collapse saw them held to a 2-2 draw by 10-man Celta Vigo at Balaidos Stadium.

The visitors had a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, but were reduced to 10 players in the 81st minute when Marc Casado was sent off for a second yellow card. The match turned swiftly after that, with Celta capitalizing on a mistake by Barcelona’s Jules Koundé. Koundé’s poor ball control allowed Alfon González to score in the 84th minute, and just two minutes later, Hugo Álvarez rifled in an equalizer to complete Celta’s stunning late rally.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was critical of his team’s overall performance, saying they had never found their rhythm and had made too many mistakes. “We played a really bad game. The passing was poor, and we had no confidence with the ball,” Flick said.

This result marks Barcelona’s second consecutive setback since Lamine Yamal’s injury, which had already forced them to lose 1-0 to Real Sociedad before the international break. Despite the draw, Barcelona remains seven points ahead of third-place Real Madrid, though the Spanish giants have played two fewer games.

Koundé, who had given away possession leading to Celta’s first goal, took responsibility for the blunder, saying, “It was a gross mistake that can’t happen. I accept that it was my fault.”

In the early stages, Barcelona looked in control, with Raphinha opening the scoring in the 15th minute and Lewandowski doubling the lead in the 61st. However, the momentum shifted following Raphinha’s missed chance to make it 3-0 when his shot hit the post in the 77th minute, paving the way for Celta’s late comeback.

“We have to learn from this,” said midfielder Gavi Paez. “This can’t happen just because we had a player sent off. But onto the next game.”

Atletico Madrid Move to Second Place

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid secured a late 2-1 victory over Alaves at home. Antoine Griezmann converted a penalty to equalize, and Alexander Sorloth scored the winner in the 86th minute, lifting Atletico into second place, five points behind Barcelona.

Valencia Pays Tribute to Flood Victims

Valencia also played their first home game since last month’s devastating floods, which claimed over 200 lives in eastern Spain. The club honored the victims before kickoff, with many fans moved to tears. On the field, Valencia triumphed 4-2 over Real Betis, with Hugo Duro scoring twice to lead the charge.

Elsewhere, Girona routed Espanyol 4-1 in a regional Catalan derby, with Bojan Miovski netting his first two goals for the club, while Mallorca triumphed 3-2 over Las Palmas thanks to a last-minute goal from Johan Mojica.