Author: Soorya G
With Real Madrid’s defeat to Atlético, Ancelotti’s side dropped to third place in the standings, one point behind Barcelona and Girona. In the current championship, the leaders have won five and drawn one.
Barcelona – Celta – 3:2
In a thrilling game, Barcelona secured a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory against a lively Celta de Vigo side at their temporary home, the Estadio Olimpico. The match showed the resilience of the defending champions, who overcame a two-goal deficit to take all three points. From the start, it was clear that Barcelona were in for a frustrating night. Celta de Vigo adopted a defensive stance, playing a compact 5-3-2 formation and closing down spaces efficiently. Barcelona struggled to create significant chances in the opening 20 minutes.
To compound their problems, Barcelona fell behind when a defensive lapse allowed Jorgen Strand Larsen to score for Celta de Vigo. Despite an improvement in passing in midfield, Barcelona struggled to break down their opponents’ resistance and were also dealt a blow when Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong was forced off the pitch after suffering an ankle injury.
At half-time, Barcelona were trailing, with Celta de Vigo executing their game plan impeccably, defending solidly and making effective counter-attacks. Coach Xavi Hernández reacted aggressively, making two substitutions at half-time and changing the formation to create more attacking options.
However, this tactical change left Barcelona vulnerable at the back, and the team went through a nervous phase, with Celta de Vigo threatening on the counter-attack. In the 76th minute, Duvikas increased Celta’s lead to 2-0, but in the last nine minutes of the match Barça turned the game around. In the 81st minute, Lewandowski scored a beautiful goal over the keeper after a precise pass from João Felix. In the 85th minute, the Pole scored twice after a pass from Raphinha (the Brazilian came on in the 72nd minute). In the 89th minute, Cancelo volleyed in Gavi’s cross to give Barcelona the lead. The win demonstrated the Catalans’ resilience and attacking ability, giving them an unbeaten start to the season.
Girona – Mallorca – 5:3
In another captivating LaLiga game, Girona pulled off a thrilling 5-3 win against Mallorca at Montilivi on Saturday. Girona are in excellent form, with five wins in a row following their draw against Real Sociedad in the season opener. With this win, the team has amassed an impressive 16 points out of a possible 18.
Mallorca went ahead after just four minutes when Vedat Muriqi converted a penalty. However, Girona managed to turn the game around before half-time. With goals from David Lopez, Artem Dovbyk, Ivan Martin and Yangel Herrera, Michel’s side went into the break with a 4-1 lead.
The second half continued to be exciting, with the impressive Savinho scoring Girona’s fifth goal. Mallorca managed to score two late consolation goals through Abdon Prats. Even so, when Prats scored his second goal in injury time, the outcome of the game had already been decided.
Brazilian right-back Yan Couto had an impressive game, while his countryman Savio was the center of attention. The 19-year-old sensation scored a goal and provided an assist, much to the delight of the Brazilian fans.