Raphinha and Lopez Goals Help Barcelona Avoid Defeat and Stay in La Liga Title Race

Goals from Raphinha and Fermin Lopez helped Barcelona avoid a loss against already-relegated Valladolid and kept their La Liga title hopes alive.

With a 2–1 win on Saturday, Barcelona are now preparing to face Inter Milan in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final. The match didn’t start well for them, as they conceded a goal in just the 6th minute. But Raphinha scored in the 54th minute to level the match, and Lopez scored the winning goal in the 60th minute.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick rested many key players at the start of the match and made big changes to the lineup. “Winning the three points feels great,” said Flick. “What’s even better is that some players only played for a short time before the important match against Inter.”

Valladolid took the early lead after Ivan Sanchez’s shot deflected off defender Ronald Araujo and went into the net. Barcelona’s debutant Daniel Rodriguez had to leave the field after just 30 minutes due to injury.

Raphinha came on at the start of the second half and scored after a punch from the goalkeeper fell to him. Then, Lopez made it 2–1 with a beautiful shot in the 60th minute.

17-year-old Lamine Yamal also played very well. One of his shots was cleared off the line by Valladolid’s Candelas. Goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, who played his first match since September, said, “I’m very happy to be back on the field. Returning with a win makes it even more special.”

Barcelona are now top of the La Liga table with 79 points from 34 matches. Real Madrid are second with 72 points and have played one game less. Real will play against Celta Vigo on Sunday.