Barcelona extended their lead at the LaLiga summit with a breathtaking 4-3 victory over Celta Vigo at the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc courtesy Raphinha’s penalty as they moving seven points clear of rivals Real Madrid.
The Catalan giants appeared to be heading for a shock defeat when they trailed 3-1 midway through the contest, as Borja Iglesias terrorized Barcelona’s high defensive line with a clinical hat-trick that stunned the home crowd. His trio of finishes had overturned Ferran Torres’ early opener for the hosts.
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Hansi Flick’s side showed championship mettle, however, as Dani Olmo reduced the deficit before Raphinha equalized to set up a grandstand finish.
The Brazilian winger then became the hero in the dying moments of stoppage time when, after VAR intervention prompted the referee to award a penalty, he calmly converted from the spot to complete the remarkable turnaround.
The dramatic finale sparked wild celebrations throughout Montjuïc as Barcelona took a significant step toward reclaiming the Spanish title.
The statistics highlighted the end-to-end nature of the contest, with Barcelona recording 2.46 expected goals to Celta’s 1.97 in a match where both teams created numerous opportunities.
Barcelona now turn their attention to Tuesday’s clash with Mallorca before the highly anticipated Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid.
For Celta Vigo, who came so close to a famous victory, they’ll look to bounce back when they host Villarreal at Balaídos in midweek.
