La Liga 2024-25: Barcelona loses to Las Palmas at home

Despite the loss, Hansi Flick’s side remains atop the league table with 34 points from 15 games. Real Madrid trails with 30 points, having played two fewer matches.

Barcelona’s Spanish forward Lamine Yamal (L) is challenged by Las Palmas’ Spanish forward Jaime Mata during the Spanish league football match. | Photo Credit: AFP

Barcelona lost at home for the first time this season when the Spanish league leader was stunned 2-1 by Las Palmas on Saturday.

Barcelona had played superbly in the first three months under new coach Hansi Flick and was flying high after convincing victories over Real Madrid in the domestic competition and Bayern Munich in the Champions League. It had won all eight home games overall.

But it has now gone three rounds of La Liga without a win. Prior to the loss to Las Palmas, it fell 1-0 at Real Sociedad and drew 2-2 at Celta Vigo.

Madrid, despite its own troubles especially in the Champions League, can now move ahead of Barcelona in the Spanish league. It trails Barcelona by four points with two games more to play.

Sandro Ramirez and Fábio Silva scored for the Canary Islands club on either side of Raphina’s equalizer.

Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal returned from a right ankle injury that had sidelined with for three weeks as a halftime substitute, but Jasper Cillessen saved his best shot. The Las Palmas goalkeeper also did well to palm a Raphinha free kick over his bar in the final minutes.

Sandro, a former Barcelona youth player, capped a fine five-pass buildup by Las Palmas starting from its own box as it masterfully undid Barcelona’s high pressure in the 49th minute.

Raphinha had already hit the crossbar in the first half before he equalized in the 61st. The Brazil forward took a short pass from Pedri just outside the area, skirted across the edge and drilled a shot between two defenders.

It was Raphinha’s ninth league goal of the campaign. Only teammate Robert Lewandowski, with 15, has scored more in the league.

But Barcelona was caught pushing forward for a second goal when Silva controlled a ball from Javi Muñoz and sent a shot bouncing past Iñaki Peña and into the corner of the net in the 67th.