da leao： The Polish striker's late heroics saved Xavi's side as they overturned a 2-0 deficit in the final minutes to pull off a remarkable turnaround.
da bet vitoria： Not since 'La Remontada' have Barca showed resilience like this. The Blaugrana were miserable for 82 minutes, but sparked into like in the final 10, with Robert Lewandowski leading the charge in an incredible comeback to beat a dogged Celta Vigo side 3-2.
Celta rarely had the ball in the early goings but they made use of it. Jorgen Larsen opened the scoring after 19 minutes, latching onto a loose ball before firing a shot into the bottom corner to shock the Olympic Stadium. In-form forward Joao Felix had a chance to equalise almost immediately but lashed a shot over the bar after a flowing Barca move. The visitors nearly had a second, only to miss a trio of chances in quick succession, giving Xavi's men a lifeline before the break.
Celta seemed to have won it midway through the second half, with club veteran Iago Aspas feeding Tasos Douvikas, who added the finishing touch to a clinical counter.
But the home side remarkably turned things around late on. Felix dinked the ball over the defence, and Lewandowski latched onto it, bagging the Blaugrana's first. The striker got his second shortly after, turning home Joao Cancelo's cross. And then the full-back grabbed the most dramatic of winners in the 89th minute, poking home at the far post after a well-worked move.
GOAL rates Barcelona's players from the Olympic Stadium…
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (6/10):
Couldn't do anything about either of Celta's goals. Made a good save to keep the game at 1-0 just before the interval.
Joao Cancelo (7/10):
Assisted the second, and scored the winner – two goal involvements that scrapped memories of an otherwise poor performance from the Man City loanee.
Jules Kounde (5/10):
Badly caught out for Celta's first goal, and wasn't particularly steady against a bigger centre-forward. Has a mistake in him, and was exposed
Andreas Christensen (5/10):
Turned in a mixed hour before being subbed. Looked tired.
Marcos Alonso (5/10):
Got forward with regularity, but lacks Alejandro Balde's pace and trickery in the final third. Switched to a central role after 60 minutes.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield
Ilkay Gundogan (6/10):
Operated as the most advanced of the midfield three, and didn't really get into the game until late on. Not his best showing.
Oriol Romeu (5/10):
Certainly offered defensive solidity, but he didn't move the ball quickly enough.
Frenkie de Jong (6/10):
Orchestrated things wonderfully from central midfield before picking up a knock. Xavi will hope it's not too serious.
Getty ImagesAttack
Ferran Torres (5/10):
Seems to struggle when he starts, and that was mostly the case here. Did a lot of running, put the requisite effort in, but he was lacking on the ball. Missed a glorious chance to equalise.
Robert Lewandowski (8/10):
Was ineffective for 80 minutes, but took both of his goals excellently late on to lead an incredible comeback.
Joao Felix (7/10):
Active without being particularly influential for most of the game, before providing a glorious assist for Lewandowski.
Getty ImagesSubs & Manager
Gavi (7/10):
Replaced the injured De Jong in the first half. Got booked almost immediately. Assisted the winner.
Lamine Yamal (6/10):
Introduced at the break. Gave Barca an attacking spark on the right.
Ronald Aruajo (6/10):
Put in a number of vital tackles, but got caught out of position for the Celta second.
Alejandro Balde (6/10):
Was asked, strangely, to play left centre-back. Immensely effective when moved further forward.
Raphinha (6/10):
Operated as an inside forward for the last 20 minutes, and made a real difference around the box.
Xavi (7/10):
Made a handful of changes after a busy week. Balde, Gavi and Yamal were all benched, with Torres given a chance to impress. Barca were very poor for 80 minutes, and electric for 10. Credit is due for making the right subs – even if he got his starting XI all wrong.