The executioner club of Barcelona punished her again! The Catalan leader’s injury helped
Georgy Ilyushchenko November 25, 2023, 18:20 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
The Blaugrana do not have a worthy replacement for Ter Stegen and Rayo Vallecano demonstrated it.
Rayo Vallecano is an extremely uncomfortable opponent for Barça: the maroons have never defeated Madrid in their last four games, losing to them three times. And who was the favorite here? The Catalans had to show that, after all, they were. But they didn’t show it.
Barcelona’s task became extremely difficult due to two injuries to practically irreplaceable players. And if Gavi will have to deal with his torn cruciate knee ligament for a long time, and Xavi has probably already overcome it, then Marc-André ter Stegen suddenly injured his back in the German national team. He was replaced in the match against Rayo by Iñaki Peña, who at 24 years old had only played two La Liga games. But Frenkie de Jong has recovered, at least some positive news. By the way, it was the Dutchman who came out with the captain’s armband.
The Madrid team also lost its most important link: the team’s top scorer, Álvaro García, was disqualified at the wrong time. Furthermore, it was he who became Barça’s executioner: he scored two goals in three last meetings with the Catalans.
Marc-André ter Stegen/Álvaro García
Photo: Getty Images
And yet, Rayo’s players surged forward even without García: after the first half, the expected goals ratio noticeably favored the home team: 0.62 versus 0.16.
Nervousness in the absence of Ter Stegen cannot be blamed here: against Alavés, the Catalans suffered with the German in goal. And Alavés and Rayo are teams of approximately the same level.
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However, Gavi played in the previous match and in this one De Jong seemed insecure: the Dutchman has barely recovered from his injury and is still far from his best form. And Peña was not a model of reliability: his opponents often tested his vigilance for a reason. In the fourth minute, for example, he hesitantly stopped a not particularly dangerous shot from Isi Palazón, but the Maroons were lucky: Jorge de Frutos did not have time to finish.
Vallecano skillfully contained the rival and, furthermore, the home team’s approaches to the goal resulted in the goal in the 39th minute. Madrid took a free kick, Balde played on the second floor, Óscar Trejo picked up the ball and shot from distance. The long shot was blocked, but the projectile flew towards Unai López: the Spaniard hit hard into the near corner and took Peña by surprise. Would Ter Stegen have saved the day here? More like yes than no.
The complete broadcast of the Spanish Primera match and the best moments are available on Okko.
According to the results of the first 45 minutes, by the way, De Jong and Robert Lewandowski obtained the worst rating according to Sofascore: 6.3 each. But if with Frankie everything is clear, clearly more was expected from the Pole: it was not in vain that he scored a double in the last round and broke a long streak of goals. 0 shots on goal, 7 losses of possession, 4 of 4 failed attempts to fight for position: such was the responsibility of the Pole. And until the end of the match nothing changed significantly.
The initiative was taken by teammates: in the second half, Barcelona, by tradition, was much more active. Joao Cancelo, Ferran Torres, Pedri, Ilkay Gundogan, Rafinha and even Íñigo Martínez created sharpness up front. Well, in the 66th minute, Palazón pushed Lamin Yamal in his own area. The prodigy collapsed on the grass, but José Montero’s whistle remained silent. It is unlikely that anyone would have argued much if an 11 meter referee had been appointed here.
And yet, Barcelona scored, even though it was the opposing player, Florian Lejeune, who did it! Apparently, the French defender was tired of watching his opponents ruin moment after moment and he decided to help them: while he was fighting with Lewandowski, he put the ball into his own goal. We never saw goals from Barça players.
Regarding expected goals, the final balance was already in favor of the Catalans: 0.87 compared to 0.69. However, the Catalans did not take advantage of their small advantage.
Barcelona has 31 points after 14 games. Atlético is 3 away, but has two games less. Real Madrid and Girona are still ahead, with 2 and 4 points respectively. And now this couple also has an extra game.
The next two days will decide a lot for Barça, in which they will play at home against Atlético and Girona. If they lose points there, the fight for the championship will be extremely difficult. By then, however, the Stegen label will likely return to the field; obviously it will be easier with him.
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