The Barça of Flick regains faith on a memorable night of football

With this victory, Flick´s team is now just three points behind Real Madrid.

An electric atmosphere at Balaídos

While the world was amazed by Rosalía, in Vigo the anthem of C. Tangana played, a nod from the Madrid artist to his father from Vigo and his love for Celta. That feeling flooded the stadium on a rainy night, full of mistakes but also of emotion, rhythm, and courage. The match was a tribute to unrestrained attack, and it was won by a Barça that, despite its imperfections, never stopped believing.

Frantic start

Only five minutes had passed when Lewandowski was already testing Radu and Durán warned that Celta was not afraid to break the azulgrana defense. Balde saved a certain goal on the line, but the scare was the prelude to a back-and-forth match. Barça lost Casadó in the warm-up and Flick opted for an atypical midfield, with De Jong as the only pure central midfielder, accompanied by Olmo and Fermín, two more offensive players. The result was an open duel, with chances for both sides. Lewandowski put his team ahead from the penalty spot, although not without suspense: the referee reviewed Marcos Alonso´s handball and Radu managed to touch the ball before it went in. When Barça seemed to have control, a counterattack ended with the equalizer from Celta. Rashford could not beat Radu in a one-on-one, and in the next play, a shot from Carreira ended up in Tek´s net, who was not firm with his hands. The defense also failed in trying to play the offside. The equalizer unsettled a vulnerable Barça, unable to hold its lead. Neither Rashford´s post nor Lewandowski´s second goal, after a cross from the Englishman, dispelled that sense of fragility. And the punishment came again: Borja Iglesias, completely free, sent a shot to the top corner to make it 2-2 and worsen the bad moment for goalkeeper Szczesny.

Lamine and the boost of faith

When Barça seemed to be sinking, Lamine Yamal appeared to change the story. In a boiling Balaídos, the young player showcased his usual flair, easily leaving rivals behind. It was he who scored the third azulgrana goal, taking advantage of a rebound from Ilaix and placing the ball snugly against the post, impossible for Radu. Five goals in 45 minutes, at a rate of one every nine: an epic first half under the fine Galician rain.

Lewandowski, an eternal ´9´

In the second half, Barça did not settle but controlled the game better. The frantic pace of the first half gave way to a more tactical phase, with a worn-out Celta that barely managed to trouble Tek. Then Lewandowski appeared again, who at 37 years old still maintains a special relationship with the goal. A new cross from Rashford found the Pole, who finished with an impeccable cross shot to complete his decisive hat-trick. With that goal, Barça secured a vital victory that leaves them just three points behind Real Madrid, following the white team´s draw in Vallecas. The team of Hansi Flick needed a result like this to regain their confidence. They may still be hesitant to push the line forward, but this Barça has recovered something more important: the champion´s faith.