Barcelona were held 1-1 by Rayo Vallecano as goalkeeper Joan Garcia delivered a standout performance to rescue a point for the La Liga champions
Barcelona dropped their first points of the La Liga season in a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, with goalkeeper Joan Garcia delivering a standout performance to rescue a hard-earned point.
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On a gritty evening at the compact Vallecas Stadium, Barca looked vulnerable despite taking the lead through a contested Lamine Yamal penalty in the 40th minute.
Rayo responded after the break through Fran Perez, and had multiple chances to grab all three points.
The hosts were left frustrated by the penalty decision, claiming the 18-year-old Yamal went down too easily under a challenge from Pep Chavarria.
To complicate matters, VAR communication issues meant the referee couldn’t review the incident.
Despite the controversy, Yamal calmly converted the penalty, sending Rayo keeper Alvaro Batalla the wrong way.
Dani Olmo had a golden chance to double the lead before halftime but fired over with the goal at his mercy.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick rotated his squad, bringing in Olmo and Andreas Christensen while leaving Marcus Rashford on the bench.
But the reshuffle did little to address the defensive frailties that have haunted the side since the start of the season.
After halftime, Rayo capitalized. A corner dropped past everyone in the box, and Perez lashed the ball in off the bar to level.
The momentum remained with the hosts, and Barcelona had Garcia to thank for preventing a defeat.
The former Espanyol goalkeeper produced brilliant saves to deny Jorge de Frutos and Isi Palazon, and a late Ratiu goal for Rayo was ruled out for offside.
“We didn’t manage the second half well,” admitted Flick. “Garcia kept us alive tonight.”
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After Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao both won, Barcelona drop to fourth, trailing the leaders by two points as early pressure mounts on the defending champions.
Source: Read more at gazettengr.com
