Yamal and Dani Olmo’s brilliance steers Barcelona back to winning ways
Barcelona returned to winning ways thanks to the brilliant skills of Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo.
After a subdued performance and a defeat against Chelsea, Barcelona started their La Liga clash against Alavés on Saturday at Camp Nou by conceding an early goal. However, Yamal’s class prevented the dark clouds of worry from settling over the Catalan club. With his and Olmo’s excellent play, Barcelona found their path back to victory.
Hans Flick’s side defeated Alavés 3-1. After Yamal’s spectacular strike restored parity, Olmo scored a brace to seal the win.
With 11 wins and 1 draw from 14 matches, Barcelona tops the table with 34 points.
Real Madrid sits second with 32 points but has played one game fewer. A win against Girona on Sunday would see Madrid return to the top.
The match began dramatically as Alavés stunned the home crowd in the first minute. Ibáñez, receiving a short pass from a teammate, calmly slotted the ball into the net.
Barcelona responded in the eighth minute. In a fluid attack, Dani Olmo drove down the left, cut the ball back from the byline to Yamal, who powerfully finished to level the score.
Yamal, who had been ineffective in Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League defeat against Chelsea, made amends with a spectacular goal.
In the 24th minute, Joan García produced a fine save to keep Barcelona level, but two minutes later, Olmo gave Barcelona the lead. Picking up Rafinha’s pass near the penalty spot from the left, he scored with a composed first touch.
In the 44th minute, Yamal missed a clear chance to extend the lead. Receiving Lewandowski’s pass into space in the box, he beat the goalkeeper but struck the post from a tight angle. Two minutes later, Lucas Boye frustrated Valencia with a misfired close-range attempt.
The first half was fiercely contested. Both teams had seven shots each; Barcelona had two on target, Alavés three.
After the break, Alavés struggled to mount any significant challenge, managing just two shots with none on target.
Barcelona, on the other hand, dominated. In the 57th minute, Lewandowski had two clear chances, both denied by the goalkeeper. Over the next 15 minutes, Yamal had multiple opportunities but failed to convert any.
Finally, in the third minute of stoppage time, Olmo capitalized on a pass from Yamal, cutting inside the box to beat the goalkeeper with a precise finish.
After suffering their seventh defeat of the season, Alavés remains 14th with 15 points from 14 matches.
