What is the story about?
Barcelona
have restored their nine-point lead at the top of the table and have taken another step towards winning La Liga thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Celta Vigo at Camp Nou on Wednesday night. Lamine Yamal won a penalty and got injured as he scored from the spot in what turned out to be the biggest highlight of a tight, ugly affair that ended with three crucial points for the league leaders.
Reactions & Observations
- The opening 30 minutes of the first half were very difficult for Barça, as Celta came out with an aggressive and attacking plan and passed the ball easily through the lines, creating big chances that forced Joan Garcia into important interventions early on.
- Barça had a lot of trouble keeping the ball and were outplayed by Celta for most of that time, and only had a couple of dangerous attacks that ended with shots from Lamine Yamal that went wide of the mark.
- The Catalans eventually started to play better towards the end of the half, and their best chance finally came when Yamal was fouled by Yoel Lago inside the box. Lamine scored the penalty to put Barça ahead, but he also suffered a hamstring injury while kicking the ball and had to be replaced in a bittersweet moment for the teenager and the home team.
- The first half took almost 70 minutes of real time to be completed due to a medical emergency in the stands that delayed the game, and Barça went into the break with a narrow advantage in a very tough match knowing they had to face the second half without their best player.
- Celta felt they had a real shot at an equalizer and continued trying to attack in the second half, but the passing and movement from the opening period wasn’t nearly as dynamic in the final frame and the visitors struggled to create any meaningful offense.
- Barça also couldn’t create a real chance except for a sensational cross yb Pedri that was volleyed home by Ferran Torres to double the lead, but the goal was disallowed for a very narrow offside that was made even more confusing by the pictures shown from semi-automated system.
- There was a whole lot of nothing happening in the final minutes and the game seemed destined to end 1-0, but Eric Garcia gave away a silly free-kick at the edge of the box at the very end to give Celta one last chance. Former Barça man Marcos Alonso shot it straight at the wall, though, and the final whistle came to give Barça all three points.
- This was ugly and not at all entertaining, but three points were all that mattered to restore the nine-point lead and keep Barça in full control of the title race. Lamine Yamal’s injury is a huge concern, but his goal sealed a very important win before Barça face a brutal away trip to Getafe.
