Barcelona earn a hard-fought win against Valladolid to extend their lead at the top of the La Liga table
- Anweshan Ghosh
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
FC Barcelona have taken a huge step in the La Liga title race after beating Real Valladolid by a scoreline of 2-1, earning three crucial points away from home at the José Zorrilla Stadium on Saturday to further extend their lead at the top.
Hansi Flick heavily rotated his starting XI to give his key players some rest ahead of the big game against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday, as a result of which Barça were visibly struggling in the first half and were even down by a goal-to-nil at the halftime mark.
To reignite the spark for his side, Flick introduced his star players – Lamine Yamal and Raphinha in the second half, who once again managed to pull the game from the clutches of defeat and complete yet another turnaround for the Catalan giants.
With these 3 points, Barcelona are now on the verge of clinching this season’s league title and can secure it in Sunday’s title-deciding El Clásico against Real Madrid at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
“Ecstasy ends in tears”: A nightmare debut for the Barcelona youngster
What was supposed to be a day to remember for the young Dani Rodriguez, who was named in the starting XI by Hansi Flick for his senior team debut, ended in tears of sadness.
His debut joy was cut short after just 38 minutes after he was forced off due to a shoulder injury following a nasty collision.
The youngster looked bright and seemed quite confident on the ball despite playing in his first ever match for Barcelona, making his premature exit a real disappointment for the manager and his teammates.
Dani Rodriguez had signed for the Barça academy from Real Sociedad back in 2020 and has consistently impressed while playing for the U16 and U19 teams.
This season, the youngster has been promoted to Barça Atlétic, where he has already made ten appearances, providing two assists as well, which lead to his first-ever senior team call-up.
Raphinha is a blessing that keeps on giving for Barcelona
Barcelona’s superstar Raphinha, who appeared to be a bit out of form since the international break in March, has finally managed to get back to his usual, tremendous ways.
The Brazilian international has been phenomenal for the Blaugranas in their matches against Inter Milan and Real Valladolid recently, which were two massive games in Barça’s quadruple charge.
Arguably, the 28-year-old, who is enjoying the best season of his career, has been the main reason why Barça are eyeing a potential historic quadruple, with the Brazilian already bagging 30 goals and 25 assists in all competitions.
His sensational performances in the Champions League have even brought him within a possible touching distance of Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of scoring the most number of goals in a single season in the Champions League.
There is no doubt that the most impactful player in Hansi Flick’s new system at Barcelona has been Raphinha, and it is fair to say that the German coach wouldn't have enjoyed the success that he has so far if it wasn’t for the brilliant Brazilian maestro.
