Barcelona staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Celta Vigo 4-3 at home on Saturday, extending their La Liga lead to seven points over Real Madrid. After trailing 3-1 with less than 30 minutes remaining, Barcelona's Dani Olmo and Raphinha , who scored twice including a 98th-minute penalty, secured the crucial victory.
Barcelona took an early lead through Ferran Torres in the 12th minute, who scored from the edge of the box after finding space in Celta's defence.
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Celta Vigo responded quickly, with Borja Iglesias equalising three minutes later. Pablo Duran's cross found Iglesias, who scored into an empty net after goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny failed to intercept.
Barcelona's attempts to regain the lead saw Raphinha sending a free-kick over the bar and Robert Lewandowski missing the target. Szczesny made important saves from Ilaix Moriba and Iker Losada at the other end.
Iglesias put Celta ahead early in the second half, capitalizing on Frenkie de Jong's error to score past Szczesny. He later completed his hat-trick after being set up by Sergio Carreira, taking advantage of Barcelona's high defensive line.
"This is football, we really wanted to win, maybe we weren't at our best but the response from the team, and the fans pushed us on... we deserved it," Olmo told DAZN. "These are three points that take us closer to our objective, they're important and we have to continue."
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick had initially rested 17-year-old Lamine Yamal for the first time in 2025 but brought him on after Iglesias' third goal.
The comeback began when Raphinha assisted Olmo, who beat goalkeeper Vicente Guaita. Raphinha then scored himself, heading in Yamal's cross from the right.
Celta missed a chance to secure the win when Oscar Mingueza headed wide from close range in the 90th minute.
The decisive moment came in the 96th minute when VAR review led to a penalty after Yoel Lago fouled Olmo. With Lewandowski substituted, Raphinha converted the spot-kick into the top-right corner.
"It's a bittersweet feeling... we scored three, which few teams can do here, but it feels bad," said Celta's Duran. "We have to be proud of our team, we came here with personality, played well, had a good plan and carried it out -- but for small details it got away from us."
The victory maintains Barcelona's strong position in the title race, with Real Madrid set to face Athletic Bilbao on Sunday and a Clasico matchup scheduled for May.
Celta Vigo, currently seventh in La Liga and competing for European qualification, showed attacking prowess throughout the match despite the eventual defeat.
Barcelona took an early lead through Ferran Torres in the 12th minute, who scored from the edge of the box after finding space in Celta's defence.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
Celta Vigo responded quickly, with Borja Iglesias equalising three minutes later. Pablo Duran's cross found Iglesias, who scored into an empty net after goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny failed to intercept.
Barcelona's attempts to regain the lead saw Raphinha sending a free-kick over the bar and Robert Lewandowski missing the target. Szczesny made important saves from Ilaix Moriba and Iker Losada at the other end.
Iglesias put Celta ahead early in the second half, capitalizing on Frenkie de Jong's error to score past Szczesny. He later completed his hat-trick after being set up by Sergio Carreira, taking advantage of Barcelona's high defensive line.
RAPHINHA IS HIM.
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) April 19, 2025
98th minute winner... 🥶 pic.twitter.com/BJryABMtBg
"This is football, we really wanted to win, maybe we weren't at our best but the response from the team, and the fans pushed us on... we deserved it," Olmo told DAZN. "These are three points that take us closer to our objective, they're important and we have to continue."
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick had initially rested 17-year-old Lamine Yamal for the first time in 2025 but brought him on after Iglesias' third goal.
The comeback began when Raphinha assisted Olmo, who beat goalkeeper Vicente Guaita. Raphinha then scored himself, heading in Yamal's cross from the right.
Celta missed a chance to secure the win when Oscar Mingueza headed wide from close range in the 90th minute.
FINAL #BarçaCelta 4-3
— LALIGA (@LaLiga) April 19, 2025
❤❤ ¡El @FCBarcelona_es se lleva un partido de locura en #LALIGAEASPORTS!#DesenlaceLALIGA pic.twitter.com/jBcyCkRPYJ
The decisive moment came in the 96th minute when VAR review led to a penalty after Yoel Lago fouled Olmo. With Lewandowski substituted, Raphinha converted the spot-kick into the top-right corner.
"It's a bittersweet feeling... we scored three, which few teams can do here, but it feels bad," said Celta's Duran. "We have to be proud of our team, we came here with personality, played well, had a good plan and carried it out -- but for small details it got away from us."
The victory maintains Barcelona's strong position in the title race, with Real Madrid set to face Athletic Bilbao on Sunday and a Clasico matchup scheduled for May.
Celta Vigo, currently seventh in La Liga and competing for European qualification, showed attacking prowess throughout the match despite the eventual defeat.
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