Arya News - Barcelona pulled off a stunning comeback from two goals down to beat Celta Vigo 4-3 on Saturday and move seven points clear of Real Madrid in the La Liga title race.
Barcelona pulled off a stunning comeback from two goals down to beat Celta Vigo 4-3 on Saturday and move seven points clear of Real Madrid in the La Liga title race.
The Catalans trailed 3-1 inside the final half-hour after a Borja Iglesias hat-trick for the visitors, but Dani Olmo scored and then Raphinha equalised before he snatched victory with a 98th minute penalty to snatch three essential points for the leaders.
Reigning champions Real Madrid, second, host Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, with a Clasico showdown still to come in May.
"This attitude, this mentality of not giving up, is really great to see... we tried everything to get the three points and we did it," Barcelona coach Hansi Flick told reporters.
However Flick said striker Robert Lewandowski needed tests after coming off with an apparent hamstring problem, making him a doubt for the Copa del Rey final next weekend against rivals Real Madrid, and putting a question mark over his involvement in the Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan.
"From my experience we wait until tomorrow (and the tests)," said Flick, who did not want to rule out the club"s top scorer too quickly.
The coach, who railed against his team"s intense schedule on Friday, rested teenage star Lamine Yamal for the first time in 2025, although he was later needed from the bench after Iglesias" treble.
The Catalans took the lead after 12 minutes when Ferran Torres strolled into space and with the defence standing off, drilled past Vicente Guaita from the edge of the box.
Celta Vigo swiftly hit back, skewering Barcelona"s high defensive line three minutes later with Pablo Duran crossing for Iglesias to roll home.
Celta, eighth and in contention for European football next season, were finding plenty of joy going forward.
Claudio Giraldez"s team took the lead early in the second half after a mistake by Frenkie de Jong allowed Iglesias to drive a low effort beyond the reach of Wojciech Szczesny.
With Barcelona on the attack Celta hit them again with Iglesias galloping through and firing home with ease.
Inspired by substitutes Yamal and Olmo, Barcelona battled back.
Raphinha nudged a pass through for Olmo to beat Guaita and rouse the Olympic stadium crowd from its stupor.
Four minutes later the Brazilian winger scored himself, heading home as Yamal crossed from the right.
Barcelona were awarded a penalty deep in injury timewhen Olmo was clumsily clattered from behind by Yoel Lago.
Raphinha took responsibility and hammered into the top-right corner to earn his team a dramatic and potentially vital victory.
"This is football, we really wanted to win, maybe we weren"t at our best (earlier in the game) but the response from the team, and the fans pushed us on... we deserved it," Olmo told DAZN.
- "Almost impossible" -
Later Saturday Javi Munoz"s 93rd-minute strike earned Las Palmas an important 1-0 La Liga win over Atletico Madrid, hammering another nail into the coffin of the Rojiblancos" title ambitions.
Diego Simeone"s side, third, now trail leaders Barcelona by 10 points.
Atletico"s season is virtually over and although the coach insisted his team would fight until the end for La Liga, their chances of mounting a comeback are next to none.
"They hit it long in desperation and found a goal... (but) it"s true that we were not accurate, we didn"t have a good game," Atletico midfielder Koke told Movistar.
"Their goalkeeper made a couple of good saves and it"s hard to explain what happened today.
"We have to continue, obviously knowing La Liga is almost impossible and we have to prepare for what"s to come."
Victory helped Las Palmas climb provisionally 17th, out of the relegation zone and two points clear of Alaves, who face Sevilla on Sunday.
Las Palmas goalkeeper Dinko Horkas made superb saves to deny Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth, before Munoz struck late to win it for the hosts.
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