Barcelona scored a point in their La Liga opener, a goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou. After a summer of frantically pulling the economy into leverage, this is the first time Barca have had the opportunity to showcase their new signings in a competitive environment – with the exception of Jules Kunde, who failed to register in time. While all eyes were on Lewandowski before starting in La Liga, he was largely anonymous in the first half as the hosts struggled to find an attacking rhythm.
Rafinha, another new signing for Barca, could have won a penalty in less than 10 minutes when he was trailing on the right but fell to the ground under pressure from Fran garcia inside the penalty area. However, it was an easy contact and referee Alejandro Hernandez refused to intervene. That seemed to get rid of the former Leeds United player, who continued to squander a string of set-pieces and beautiful chances. While he worked well with Ousmane Dembele – swapping flanks with his teammates midway through the first half as Xavi Hernandez tried to disrupt Rayo's defence – he twice failed to hit targets after being placed in a promising position.
Barca have the biggest possession, but Leo may have had the best chance before halftime when Alvaro Garcia rushed down the left, cut inside and cleverly sent Ronald Araujo in the wrong direction. He looked destined to score, but Mark-Andre Ter Stegen managed to kill the shot from close range. Leo picked up in the second half from where they left off, and Patersis won the ball high on the pitch and began an attack that ended with Sergio Camero bypassing Ter Stegen. He hesitated to put the net at his mercy, leaving Ter Stegen scrambling past the goal before attempting a tough shot, but the shot was slightly offside.
Harvey made three substitutions in the 60th minute, replacing Garvey, Christensen and Rafinha with Frankie De Jong, Serge Roberto and Ansu Fati. After that, Barca became more confident, creating better chances for Lewandowski and tightening the net around their opponents. Both Ansu Fati and Sergio Busquets made brilliant saves from Leo goalkeeper Stoll Dimitrievski, but Barca were still unable to break the deadlock. With less than 10 minutes left in the game, Harvey brought Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the pitch to chase a late winner.
It looks like it could pay off, with Lewandowski arranging Aubameyang scoring with a shot from the ground with Dimitrievsky trapped. Unfortunately for Barca, Alejandro Catena had previously completed a brilliant goal clearance and, out of frustration, Busquets was sent off in injury time for An elbow strike by Radamel Falcao. Although Levan improved a lot in the second half, he ultimately couldn't find a way to break through Leo's defense. Raphinha's game was tough, and while Christensen made some nice passes from the back, they were both dragged off the field in the 60th minute and Franck Kessie struggled to make a difference after coming off the bench with less than 20 minutes left.
[Breeze] Player Rating:
Barcelona: Ter Stegen 6, Araujo 5, Christensen 6, Garcia 6, Alba 6, Garvey 6, Booth
Ketz 3, Pedri 7, Rafinha 4, Lewandowski 5, Dembele 7
Substitutes: De Jong 6, Roberto 5, Fati 6, Casey 5, Aubameyang 6
巴列卡诺: Dimitrievski 8, F Garcia 6, Catena 8, Lejeune 7, Balliu 7, Ciss 7, Lopez 6, A G
arcia 7, Trejo 6, Palazon 7, Camel 5
Substitutes: Falcao 6, Valentine 5, Salvi 5, Pozzo 5
[Breeze] Key Data:
According to Opta, Barcelona ended in a 0-0 draw in their first La Liga match of the season, the sixth time in their history. This was only the second home match, the last time being when they drew 0-0 with Real Sociedad in September 1968. Robert had just one shot on goal in the first half and only two touches in the opposing penalty area. He took 15 in total, the lowest of Barca's players. #La Liga Reboot #Match #La Liga #
