FULL-TIME: CELTA VIGO 2-2 BARCELONA
What an end to the match. Celta did extremely well to come back twice in the game after Barcelona led through Luis Suarez 20th minute and 67th minute strikes. Fyodor Smolov put the host level with a simple tap-in the 50th minute but it was Celta skipper Iago Aspas' 88th minute free kick that could have a seismic effect on this season's title race. Barcelona goes top of the standings for now with 69 points, but could fall behind by two points if Real Madrid can beat bottom-placed Espanyol on Sunday.
90+4' CLOSE! Denis Suarez slices open the Barcelona defence with a through ball to Nolito, who goes for the far post only to be denied by Ter Stegen. Barcelona pours forward but the Celta defence keeps it out.
90' Aspas is shown a yellow card for his shirtless celebration but the forward wouldn't mind that. His goal might've titled the title in Real Madrid's favour while extending Barcelona's winless run at Celta Vigo to six matches.
88' GOAL CELTA! What a goal from Iago Aspas. The Celta captain notices the Barcelona wall move away towards the right and blasts the ball into the bottom left-hand corner to pull Celta level again. How vital that goal could be in the title race!
87' Rafinha is brought down outside the penalty box after Pique lunges at his former teammate.
85' Braithwaite is shown a yellow card to pulling down Kevin Vazquez. Setien makes his fifth substitution as he takes off Puig for Arthur.
83' Nolito goes on a rampaging run from the left flank and crosses at the far post for Denis Suarez. Umtiti clears it but goes down after colliding with Denis in the process. The Frenchman looks okay though.
80' Close! That was big chance for Celta. Aspas cuts a backheel into Nolito's path as the forward tries to squeeze it past Ter Stegen into the bottom corner. The German keeper does well to keep the shot out.
76' Barcelona wins a corner as Griezmann comes on for Suarez. Junior Firpo comes for Jordi Alba. Messi curls in the corner kick towards the near post which Blanco gathers it easily.
73' Denis Suarez and Puigi clatter into each other but seems okay. Messi dances down the right flank and wins a free kick just outside the area. However, his delivery is off as the ball loops over the goalpost.
70' Celta is not done yet. Its attackers flood forward. Barca manages to keep out a couple of crosses. Martin Braithwaite comes on for Ansu Fati as Oscar Garcia sends in Jeison Murillo for Araujo.
67' GOAL BARCA! Luis Suarez puts Barcelona back in the lead again with a superb finish at the far corner. It's a second assist of the match for Messi lays it off for his teammate after Semedo wins back possession from Denis Suarez on the edge of the box.
66' Puig plays superb ball to Ansu Fati who shows sublime touch to bring it down. The winger darts into the box at full speed but Aidoo does well to clear it away for a Barca corner.
64' Ansu Fati is down after a Denis Suarez challenge. The referee lets the midfielder go with a warning.
60' Araujo gets booked for bringing down Suarez just outside the box. Messi floats a ball towards the centre but is unable to find Suarez. Blanco sends a long punt trying to find Aspas at the other end but Ter Stegen was alert to get hold of the ball.
58' Celta has locked out the middle third making it difficult for Barce to get through. Braiz and Smolov are substituted by Barcelona loanee Rafinha and Nolito respectively.
55' Ansu Fati goes on a brilliant run on the left hand side and goes for the goal. Aidoo makes a vital clearance to keep the scores level.
53' Messi almost gets a response for Barcelona as he gets into the box and goes for the far post, but he loses his balance after a challenge by Araujo. Umtiti gets a booking for a clumsy foul on Smolov.
50' CELTA EQUALISES! Rakitic loses the ball in the centre and Celta is quick to punish the mistake. Aspas plays it to Okay running towards the goal. The midfielder plays the ball through Pique's legs towards an unmarked Smolov who applies a simple finish to pull Celta level.
49' Celta starts the second half on front foot. The host is moving the ball well and a goal seems inevitable.
47' Smolov gets into the box and cuts it back for an onrushing Aspas. Umtiti sticks out his leg to clear away the danger. Barca breaks away as Semedo is stopped in his tracks by Araujo.
46' We are away for the second half! Celta wins a tries to squeeze the ball through the right wing but Semedo closes out Aspas.
HALF-TIME: CELTA VIGO 0-1 BARCELONA
45+2' Semedo barges into the final third but debutant Jacobo does well to cut him off for a corner. Messi's corner is cleared off the line by Ruben Blanco. The referee checks the clearance once again and blows the whistle for the half-time break.
45' Ansu Fati goes on a mazy dribble on the left flank and flashes a low cross across the goalline which finds no takers.
43' Aspas wastes a glorious chance to pull Celta level. He takes on Pique with ease but is takes a couple of touches extra which allows Vidal to close him.
40' Close! Suarez wins the ball just outside the ball and lays it off to Messi who is in a good position to curl the ball towards the far corner but overhits it.
38' Brais tries to find Smolov with a pass over the Barca defence. Pique manages to get a shin to it as Ter Stegen rushes off his line to gather the ball.
36' The visitor wins a corner kick which Celta defence fails to clear. Suarez plays a backheel to Messi who comes pressure from Jacobo and loses the ball.
34' Barcelona get back the ball as Puig and Messi combine to put Ansu Fati through to the goal. However, the teenager is unable to get through a crowded box.
31' Vidal receives the ball outside the box as Semedo and Suarez make runs into the box. The Chilean, however, goes for the glory and drags his shot wide off the far post.
27' Celta is clearly winning the midfield battle. The home side has managed to keep the ball off Barcelona since Suarez's opener. The players break for drinks.
23' CLOSE! How did that stay out! The Barca defence is all over the place. Aspas cuts in easily from the right wing and has a shot at the goal as Semedo makes a last-ditch tackle. Celta hit back again after Smolov plays a delightful throughball to Smolov. The Russian beats Ter Stegen but his shot misses the far post by a whisker.
20' GOAL BARCELONA! Absolute genius from Messi. The Blaugrana captain spots Suarez unmarked at the far post and cross it to the Uruguayan who scores with an easy header.
19' Messi and Puig combine on the right side as Vidal is brought down by Aidoo as Barca wins a free kick in a dangerous area.
17' Magic from Messi! The Argentinian goes around the right flank and takes out the entire Celta defence with a dink towards Semedo at the near post. The full back cuts it back for Suarez in the centre but Celta defenders scramble to clear the ball away.
15' Brais breaks into the final third on the right side and whips in a cross at the near post. Smolov is unable to time his jump as Umtiti clears it away.
12' Jordi Alba gets booked for a high-arm challenge on Brais Mendez. The full-back is furious at the decision. Barca's midfield looks vulnerable with Celta overcrowding it. Umtiti takes Aspas off the ball with a robust tackle outside the box.
10' Messi cuts in from the left and tries to find Suarez who makes a run into the box. Saenz makes an interception. The resultant corner kick sends Celta defence into panic mode as Aidoo fails to clear the ball. Puig smashes the second ball from outside the box, but the ball goes over the line for a goal kick.
7' Celta get hold off the ball from a second Barcelona corner and break away through Aspas and Smolov. Smolov delays his shot by a second which allows Umtiti to block it. Celta takes a short corner but the visitor clears it away with ease.
5' Crossbar! Messi's free kick curls dangerously at the near as Jacobo clears away for a corner. Messi takes the corner quickly as Pique gets a head to it. The shot comes off the crossbar as Celta breathe a sigh of relief.
4' Alba whips in a cross from the left flank but Araujo heads it away to safety. Barca builds from the back as it tries to move the ball from the right side and wins a free kick.
1' KICK-OFF! Barcelona begins the proceedings as Vidal puts Ansu Fati through on the left wing. The winger gets close to the near post but a strong challenge from Aidoo takes him off the ball.
We are ready for kick-off as the players walk on to the rain-soaked pitch.
- Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez has been a tough venue for Barcelona. The Catalan giant has not won at Celta Vigo in the past five outings.
- Will the changes work for Barca? Quique Setien has made three big changes to the line-up that started against Athletic Bilbao. Antoine Greizmann, who has not scored in the past seven games, has been benched in favour of teenager Ansu Fati while Clement Lenglet makes way for his compatriot Samuel Umtiti. In the midfield, Arthur has been dropped to give way for the club's youth product Riqui Puig.
Line-ups:
Celta Vigo (3-5-2): Blanco; Aidoo, Saenz, Araujo; Vazquez, Jacobo, Okay, Denis Suarez, Brais Mendez; Smolov, Aspas
Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Semedo, Umtiti, Pique, Alba; Vidal, Rakitic, Puig; Ansu Fati, Luis Suarez, Messi
READ:
- Form Guide: Barcelona - DWDWW, Celta Vigo- DWWDL
- What's at stake: Barcelona, which is second in the table by goal difference, needs to win this match to keep the title hunt alive. A draw would see it remain in second with a chance of Real Madrid increasing its lead if it wins against Espanyol tomorrow. A win for Celta Vigo will see it move to 14th by overtaking Alaves and Valladolid.
RELATED:
- The live streaming of Celta Vigo vs Barcelona will begin at 8.30 pm (IST) on La-Liga's official Facebook page.
Comments
SHARE