One of the heroes of Spain’s 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024)-winning campaign, Dani Olmo, enjoyed a stellar debut for Barcelona against La Liga rivals Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday night, August 27. He scored the winning goal in the dying embers of the game to seal a 2-1 victory for the Blaugrana at the Estadio de Vallecas, keeping the visitors at the top of the La Liga rankings with three wins in as many games.
Barcelona Mount Sensational Second-Half Comeback Against Rayo Vallecano
Hansi Flick’s side had a difficult start to the game in Madrid on Tuesday night. The visitors were a little slow to get into the groove and paid the price only nine minutes in. Jorge de Frutos picked up the ball on the right flank and slid it into the box. Unai Lopez, who was playing in his 200th La Liga match, burst through the inside right channel and applied a first-time finish to beat Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen at his near post. The German goalkeeper should have done better to keep out Lopez’s low strike. The Blaugrana looked much better on the defensive front for the remainder of the first half but could not threaten the Rayo defense.
In the opening minute of the second half, debutant Olmo went down inside the Rayo box. Barcelona players claimed he was obstructed, but the referee refrained from pointing to the spot. Barcelona, however, got the equalizer shortly after, as midfield general Pedri burst through the middle, received the cutback from Raphinha, and slotted it into the bottom-right corner of the Rayo Vallecano goal.
In the 71st minute, Lamine Yamal aimed at goal. Rayo goalkeeper Dani Cardenas blocked it, but the rebound fell straight to Robert Lewandowski, who found the back of the net. Barcelona thought they had the win in the bag, but a VAR check spoiled their party, ruling the goal out due to a foul in the build-up.
The winner finally arrived in the 82nd minute, thanks to a gem of a strike from Olmo. Receiving the cutback from Yamal, the Spaniard steadied himself before curling the ball into the back of the net, sealing a 2-1 win for the Catalans.
A Look At Olmo’s Game In Numbers
Having waited for around two weeks to officially become a part of Barcelona’s 2024-25 squad, Olmo was raring to go on Tuesday night. Flick did not start him against Rayo Vallecano, but after Ferran Torres failed to impress on the left flank, Olmo’s introduction became a necessity. The ex-RB Leipzig man dominated the wide areas against Rayo, linking up effortlessly with his teammates.
Shortly after coming on in the second half, Olmo dispatched a fine effort from outside the box. Cardenas was caught out by his bolt from the blue, but luckily for him, the crossbar came to his rescue. Olmo, however, was not one to leave without his debut goal, as he found the bottom-left corner with a cool left-footed curler. The stunning goal aside, Olmo created two chances, completed 21 of 24 passes, pulled off two dribbles, made three recoveries, and won three duels. Talk about a dream debut!
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