Barcelona suffered their third consecutive defeat on home soil, failing to increase their lead over third-placed Sevilla.
Rayo Vallecano defeated Barcelona 1-0 in their La Liga game on Sunday. The guests claimed a shock victory while Barca failed to score again at Camp Nou.
Another night to forget for the Catalans!
Barcelona struggled for rhythm early on, while Rayo made a surprisingly good start to the game. The guests got what they wanted when Alvaro Garcia scored an early opener for them.
Following Isi Palazon’s superb through ball, the Rayo striker latched onto the ball before hitting a precise low shot past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Barcelona were not able to create enough goalscoring chances before the half-time whistle, while Rayo successfully limited their options in midfield.
The guests continued to waste time throughout the second half as they prevented Barca from gaining momentum. The Catalans looked much better in the latter stages of the game. However, excellent saves from Rayo keeper Stole Dimitrievski prevented Memphis Depay and Ousmane Dembele from scoring the equalizer.
The referee took more than 10 minutes of stoppage time, but even that was not enough for Barca to escape the home defeat.
What’s next for Barcelona?
The Catalans failed to increase their lead over Sevilla as they stayed level on points with the third-placed side. They must be more careful about dropping points as Sevilla, Atletico, and even Real Betis might push to take their spot.
Xavi Hernandez’s side will now prepare to meet Mallorca in their next league game on Sunday.
Player Ratings
Barcelona: Ter Stegen (5), Dest (5), Araujo (7), Alba (6), Torres (5), Gavi (7), Busquets (7), De Jong (6), Garcia (6), Aubameyang (5), Dembele (6).
Bench: Gonzalez (6), Traore (7), L. De Jong (6), Depay (7), Lenglet (6).
Rayo Vallecano: Dimitrievski (8), Maras (6), Catena (7), Comsena (7), Palazon (7), Nteka (6), U. Lopez (6), Alvaro (6), Balliu (6), Oscar (6), F. Garcia (8).
Bench: Hernandez (5), Guardiola (6), Suarez (6), Ciss (7), Trejo (6).
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