Barcelona continue dominant start in La Liga against Rayo Vallecano as Hansi Flick makes it three wins in three

Barcelona make it three out of three under Hansi Flick, riding high on some impressive display from their young midfield.

Barcelona continue dominant start in La Liga against Rayo Vallecano as Hansi Flick makes it three wins in three

Barcelona celebrations, image courtesy: X

Barcelona maintained their impressive run as they ran roughshod over Rayo Vallecano, clinching their third win on the trot. Despite falling behind in the wee hours of the game, as Unai Lopez struck in the 9th minute, goals from Pedri and Dani Olmo sealed the deal for the Catalans.

The Catalans made just a solitary change to their side as left-back Gerard Martin replaced Alejandro Balde in the starting XI from their last game. After a bit of modest exchange, it was Rayo Vallecano who secured the lead through Jorge de Frutos‘ assist as early as in the 9th minute.

YouTube video

An important change at the stroke of half-time in the form of Dani Olmo, who made his debut for the Catalans, coming in place of Ferran Torres injected some crucial verve into the Barcelona side and they looked in total control since then. A million-dollar chance went begging in the 50th minute when Robert Lewandowski overran an excellent cross Raphinha in the box.

FS Video

Dani Olmo fell inches short in the 58th minute when his meaty strike rattled the woodwork. However, minutes later, Pedri did the honors, keeping his incredible form against Vallecano alive with another neat finish from Raphinha‘s assist in the 60th minute.

In the 73rd minute, Lewandowski scored again but the goal was disallowed for a foul in the build-up. However, the Barcelona debutant, Olmo, made sure that he meted out justice to the hype around him, scoring the all-important winner in screaming fashion around the 82nd minute.

There was a late scare for the Catalans, as Randy Nteka failed to reach an extraordinary pass from Gerard Gumbau in the dying embers of the game. Barcelona kept their winning streak alive and the fans were delighted at how Olmo’s inclusion to the side changed their entire game in the second half.

RELATED
“Best decision of my life,” Harry Kane backs decision to move to Bayern Munich after missing out on Bundesliga title and reveals goals for new season
Harry Kane Bayern Munich

Barcelona’s midfield was the key element in their victory against Rayo Vallecano

It was an incredible display from the Barcelona midfield that saw Lamine Yamal dishing out another gilt-edged showdown. His silky-smooth touches laced with those unstoppable runs left Rayo Vallecano stunned.

Barcelona
Barcelona celebrations, image courtesy: X

In order to stall the young Spaniard, Vallecano did deploy quite a few physical tackles and yet couldn’t really get at the receiving end of Yamal as he kept on fireballing through a horde of Rayo defenders. He had help from debutant Dani Olmo in the second half who was equally incredible with his adept first touches.

The goal that he scored was a sheer testimony to the lofty expectations those were pinned on him before he started for the Catalan giants. Their next clash in the league will be up against Valladolid on Saturday at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

In case you missed: