Raphinha Leads the Remontada as Barcelona Stun Celta Vigo
La Liga leaders Barcelona have temporarily extended their lead at the top of the Spanish league to 7 points after a whirlwind of a game that saw Barça claw their way back from 1-3 down to eventually win 4-3, completing the Remontada.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick made a few changes from the loss to Real Madrid, starting Lamine Yamal on the bench in La Liga for the first time in 2025. The fully recovered Dani Olmo also started on the bench, though in truth, that had little effect on Barça’s fantastic start.
Ferran Torres gave the Catalans the lead after a fine run and composed finish as early as the 11th minute. Barcelona continued with some intricate passing and threatened to add another, only for the away side to equalize after the Barça defense failed to deal with what appeared to be a harmless cross into the box.
Celta Vigo sensed hesitation in Barcelona’s high defensive line and began testing it with occasional, calculated attacks. Their approach paid off seven minutes after the restart, as Borja Iglesias pounced once again to make it 2-1 to Celta.
Just seven days ago, Celta captain Iago Aspas voiced his frustration with Espanyol, labeling the Catalan side a “small team” for playing defensively. Aspas had said:
“Sometimes, I prefer playing against big teams who come out to attack rather than facing teams that sit back and defend, waiting for a chance on the counter. I lean towards matches against larger teams that play openly, rather than a small team that closes up and makes it difficult to create chances.”
From the bench, Aspas must have appreciated the tactical maneuvering of Celta Vigo coach Claudio Giráldez, who introduced former Barça defender Óscar Mingueza and switched to a 3-4-3 formation. The tactic encouraged Barcelona to attack, leaving them vulnerable to Celta’s dangerous counters.
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It wasn’t long before it paid off. Celta extended their lead to 3-1, and the entire Montjuïc Olympic Stadium fell silent. With Real Madrid set to host Athletic Club later, Barça fans feared the worst — their four-point cushion could fade to just one, putting extra pressure on this young, inexperienced team in a fierce La Liga title race.
Barcelona’s Young Guns Shine
Flick turned to youth to rescue the match, bringing in creativity and energy with Lamine Yamal, Gavi, and Dani Olmo. Within five minutes, the comeback was on.
Ballon d’Or contender Raphinha laid off the assist for the newly introduced Olmo before scoring himself, finishing a cross from Yamal, who notched his 18th assist of the season, to draw level and awaken the stadium and fans around the world.
The game remained tense till the end. Celta could have grabbed a winner as Mingueza found himself in acres of space, but failed to convert. Eventually, it was Raphinha who showed composure and leadership, converting a penalty after Yoel Lago was adjudged to have fouled Olmo in the box. Raphinha made it 4-3, sealing the comeback and extending Barcelona’s domestic unbeaten run in 2025.
Raphinha, with 52 goal contributions this season, was deservedly named Man of the Match for his two goals and an assist.
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