FC Barcelona emerged victorious against Rayo Vallecano thanks to an impressive second-half display. Goals from Pedri and Dani Olmo were enough to hand Hansi Flick his third straight win in what has been a dream start to his coaching career here.
Flick’s in-game management was on-point against Rayo with the German coach bringing on Dani Olmo for Ferran Torres in the second half. The 26-year-old Spaniard, making his debut for the club, changed the game on its head.
While Olmo’s presence transformed the complexion of the game, one Barcelona player who was exceptional from start to finish was Pedri. The 21-year-old broke the deadlock for the team with a cool and composed finish.
It was the impressive Raphinha who provided the assist to Pedri’s goal. The 27-year-old Brazilian had yet another tireless performance last night, completing 90 minutes for the third straight game in a row, and should have had another assist had Lewandowski taken his chance.
Pedri was visibly happy after the game and admitted that Raphinha giving him the assist meant more to him due to one reason. As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, here is what the 21-year-old had to say:
“I talked with Rafa (Raphinha) at halftime about those cutbacks that were coming in, and it’s even better because I have both him and myself on my Fantasy team, so I earned some good points.”
Pedri’s comments remind one that just like fans, professional footballers too love to get involved in the fantasy game and want to outscore their friends with their teams. It must feel extra special to the 21-year-old to score a goal to help do that.
Raphinha seems to have really found himself at home in Flick’s team. The Brazilian who hardly used to last an hour during Xavi’s tenure is now playing the entire game for the German coach and finally looks like the version he was back at Leeds United.
Barcelona’s second half against Rayo was arguably the best football they’ve played under Hansi Flick so far but the sweetness of the victory has been marred by Marc Bernal’s unfortunate injury, with the 17-year-old likely to have torn his ACL.
Pedri himself was at the end of a rash challenge that the referee did not care about (much like most of his decisions in the game) and walked off gingerly. However, the 21-year-old seemed fine when he went off and Barcelona will hope that he can continue his good form in the games to come.
