FC Barcelona 4 – 3 Celta Vigo
“Barcelona snatched all three points thanks to a coolly taken stoppage-time penalty by Raphinha.”
The painful memory of their loss to Borussia Dortmund was still fresh when Barcelona found themselves trailing 3-1 against Celta Vigo. But Hansi Flick’s side bounced back in style, delivering a thrilling comeback to seal a dramatic 4-3 victory in a seven-goal La Liga thriller.
On Saturday night at home, Barcelona secured a crucial win that takes them a step closer to reclaiming the league title.
With 23 wins and 4 draws from 32 matches, Barcelona now sit atop La Liga with 73 points. Real Madrid, who have a game in hand, follow closely with 66 points.
“Raphinha played a starring role with a brace, including the winning penalty in the 98th minute. Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo scored the other two goals for Barcelona.”
Borja Iglesias scored a hat-trick for Celta, nearly derailing Barça’s night.
Barcelona dominated possession with over 72% of the ball and fired 18 shots, six on target. Celta, however, made the most of their chances with 11 shots—eight of them on goal.
Barça created their first chance as early as the 2nd minute, but Robert Lewandowski couldn’t find the target from Fermín López’s cross. Minutes later, Iñigo Martínez also missed a header from a Raphinha corner.
The breakthrough came in the 12th minute. Ferran Torres picked up the ball near midfield and drove forward before curling a beautiful low shot into the net—his 10th goal of the season.
Celta responded almost instantly. In the 15th minute, Pablo Durán sent in a cross that goalkeeper Wojciech Stansni failed to collect, allowing Iglesias to tap into an empty net.
In the 23rd minute, a similar Durán cross nearly created another goal, but this time Stansni got a fingertip to it and Jules Koundé cleared under pressure—barely avoiding disaster.
Raphinha had a chance to restore the lead but shot straight at the keeper from outside the box in the 27th. Lewandowski then missed a volley from the edge of the area just before halftime.
Moments later, Stansni kept Barcelona in the game with a stunning double save—first stopping Ilaix Moriba’s shot while on the ground, then denying Iker Losada’s rebound effort with his foot.
In the 52nd minute, a miscommunication between Frenkie de Jong and Martínez gifted the ball to Iglesias, who fired home with a precise finish to make it 2-1.
Just seven minutes later, Iglesias could’ve completed his hat-trick but wasted a golden chance by shooting straight at the keeper in a one-on-one.
Then came the game-changing substitutions—Olmo and Lamine Yamal stepped onto the pitch and Barcelona suddenly came alive in attack.
“However, Barça conceded again in the 62nd minute. Iglesias completed his hat-trick with a composed finish, beating Stansni one-on-one.”
Just two minutes later, Olmo pulled one back. Set up by a brilliant Raphinha pass, the Spanish forward—back from injury—slotted home with composure.
“Raphinha made it 3-3 in the 68th minute, finishing off a superb cross from Lamine Yamal with a flying header.”
It was the Brazilian’s first league goal in over a month.
Lewandowski had to leave the pitch in the 78th minute with discomfort in his leg. The medical team looked concerned as he sat on the bench.
In the 90th minute, Barcelona were almost punished again when Óscar Mingueza missed a sitter—a free header from point-blank range.
“Finally, in the 98th minute of stoppage time, Raphinha scored the winner from the spot—his 15th goal of the season. The penalty was awarded after a foul on Olmo by Celta’s defender Iago, confirmed via VAR.”
The importance of that goal and win in the title race was clear from the way Barcelona celebrated—it was more than just three points; it was a statement.
