Celta Vigo 2-2 Barca: Attack makes defense break
On the day that coach Ernesto Valverde left a series of key players on the bench, including Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Barca was held to a 2-2 draw by Celta Vigo in round 33 of La Liga 2017/18.
Celta:Castro (45') Aspas (82')
Barca:Dembele (36') Alcacer (64')
Going into the away match against Celta, Barca left a series of key players such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Samuel Umtiti on the bench. Players with little chance of starting, including Lucas Digne, Denis Suarez and Paco Alcacer, started from the start.
Using only the second team made it impossible for Barca to impose the game as they wanted. Not only that, the Catalan giant's goal was constantly shaken by Celta's lightning-fast attacks. If it weren't for the brilliance of goalkeeper Ter Stegen, Barca's net would have shaken at least twice.
In such a difficult situation, Barca was the team to open the scoring thanks to taking advantage of a mistake from Celta. In the 36th minute, a careless cross pass from a home player was intercepted by Philippe Coutinho. Immediately, the former Liverpool midfielder launched a quick attack, and Ousmane Dembele was the one to make the final kick to break the tie.
 |
| Barca's reserves in the match against Celta. |
However, in the final minute of the first half, Celta found an equalizer after a great cut and shot by Jonny Castro. The goal showed Barca's defensive weakness, and the loss came as an inevitable consequence.
In the second half, Barca continued to show a deadlocked face. In the 60th minute, coach Ernesto Valverde was forced to send Messi onto the field, and exactly 4 minutes later, Barca once again took the lead with a quick strike from Alcacer. This was only the 4th goal of the striker born in 1993 for the Catalan giants in La Liga this season.
However, in the 71st minute, Barca were down to 10 men after Sergi Roberto received a straight red card. Playing with one less man, the visitors could not maintain the fragile gap.
 |
| Dembele scored a beautiful goal. |
In the 82nd minute, Iago Aspas bravely scored the equalizer for Celta. But notably, in that situation, the video showed that the ball touched Aspas' hand before rolling into Barca's net - an unjust loss for Valverde and his team. In the end, the match between Barca and Celta ended in a 2-2 draw.
This result helps Barca maintain the top position in La Liga with 83 points, 12 points more than the second-placed team Atletico Madrid. If they win the next 2 matches, Barca will be crowned champions.
