FC Barcelona emerge as late 3-2 victors against a rather impressive Celta Vigo side following late goals from Robert Lewandowski and Joao Cancelo. A thrilling encounter from start to finish, this rollercoaster of a match saw Barcelona showcase exactly why they have the winning mentality that so many claim this club to have.
Despite a rocky start to the game and long durations where almost everything they tried seemed to fail, Barcelona and Xavi ensured that they took away all three points from the men of Rafa Benitez in front of the home fans in the Montjuic Stadium courtesy of several standout performances.
Here is how the players of Barcelona fared against Celta Vigo.
Player Ratings
Ter Stegen: 7.0
The German could arguably have done better for the first goal that Celta Vigo scored. Apart from that instance, the German goalkeeper stood his ground and was solid with his distribution as well, something quite expected of him.
Marcos Alonso: 5.0
Alonso was quite stale in terms of the performance he displayed. Almost too predictable and one-dimensional to trouble Celta Vigo, his substitution was one of the most foreseeable ones when the second half kicked off.
Jules Kounde: 7.0
The 24-year-old defender seemed sluggish at times, but the Frenchman’s determination on several occasions helped Barcelona control the defensive surroundings around their goal and even made sure to add progressive elements to his contributions against Celta Vigo.
Andreas Christensen: 6.5
The Danish defender was decent at best. His ball distribution was reliable and his positioning was more or less adequate, but certain lapses of judgment gave Celta Vigo more space to create for themselves than Barcelona would have liked for their opponents to at any point.
Joao Cancelo: 9.5
Joao Cancelo, just like Joao Felix, was among the few catalysts that enabled FC Barcelona to make this spectacular comeback against Celta Vigo on a night that fans of La Blaugrana will surely not forget for a long time.
His assist for Lewandowski’s second goal as well as his late winner, alongside his offensive contributions throughout the game made sure that Barcelona emerged as the victors with their momentum.
Oriol Romeu: 7.5
Despite not seeming to be at his positional best during the game, particularly the first half, Romeu ensured on several occasions that Celta Vigo did not get an easy shot at Ter Stegen’s goal where the veteran’s last-minute tackles arguably saved La Blaugrana from conceding more.
Ilkay Gundogan: 7.5
The German was struggling initially but soon got into his rhythm and almost made Barcelona feel like a much different and more fluid team near the end of the match. His interconnection between his teammates and linking up with those around him enabled Barcelona to react much better the further they got into the game.
Frenkie De Jong: 6.5
The Dutchman was arguably the best Barcelona player on the field before he was taken off around the 35th-minute mark supposedly due to some physical discomfort. Creating and almost individually making space for himself and those around him, his skill set was on display for many to be amazed at.
Joao Felix: 8.5
Felix was energetic throughout the game and even created several openings for himself and his teammates through his quick touches and passes. However, his assist for Lewandowski’s first goal was a showcase of absolute footballing genius and was the key to initializing Barca’s incoming comeback.
Robert Lewandowski: 9.0
Scored two late goals to bring Barcelona back into the game against an almost unstoppable-looking Celta Vigo side. Two absolutely classy finishes saw the Polish ace bring Barcelona back from 2-0 down to 2-2 against Celta with assists from Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, and initiated Barca’s entire comeback to win 3-2 in a game where the Catalan giants seemed to have no chance.
Ferran Torres: 6.5
Made some promising runs and should have even scored one for Barcelona with one of them, but the ‘Shark’ definitely lacked some bite tonight and ended up being replaced by Brazilian winger Raphinha around the 70th-minute mark as Xavi believed the latter provided something better to his team against Celta Vigo.
Substitutes
Gavi: 8.0
Tenacious from the start, and despite an early yellow card for a silly foul, Gavi was insistent throughout the game and managed to be the provider for the last match-winning goal courtesy of his crossed assist to Joao Cancelo at the death of the game.
Lamine Yamal: 6.5
While definitely not his best performance yet in a Barcelona shirt, the 16-year-old was once again one of the main attacking threats whenever he had the ball at his feet. Constantly kept the Celta Vigo defenders on their toes when in possession.
Ronald Araujo: 7.0
The return of the Uruguayan brought alongside it a great momentum. His defensive actions, in terms of both his physical dominance over opponents and ability to recover almost instantly, were all solid and he gave Barcelona new confidence leading the team from behind.
Alejandro Balde: 7.0
The pacey fullback was a breath of fresh air following his introduction into the match after the performance Marcos Alonso gave from the same position on the flank. His electrifying runs and constant dribbling ensured that Celta Vigo just could not afford to let him have his space and this opened up some for Barca’s own attackers.
Raphinha: 6.5
The Brazilian winger brought intensity into a game that sorely needed it. His whipped-in crosses and good energy on the ball were both key to unlocking the otherwise stubborn Celta Vigo defense and enabled Barcelona to take advantage of it late into the game.
