FC Barcelona fends off Real Madrid’s attack and regains the lead in the table. Against Oviedo, the Catalans shift up several gears in the second half. Lamine Yamal scores with a dream bicycle kick to make it 3-0.
The situation before the game was clear: Barca needed a win against bottom-of-the-table Real Oviedo to reclaim the top spot in the table from Real Madrid. To that end, Hansi Flick made five changes after the 4-2 win at Slavia Prague, throwing Cubarsi, Joao Cancelo, Casado, Lamine Yamal, and Dani Olmo into the starting lineup.
Barca struggles
But the stars of FC Barcelona struggled against the bottom team in the table. The promoted team was fully in the game from the start and played robustly but fairly. Referee Martinez Munuera frequently interrupted the game, preventing any real flow from developing. This naturally benefited the visitors, who occasionally appeared up front but never really posed a threat. And Barca? Flick’s team mostly tried to attack down the wings, but both Raphinha and Lamine Yamal kept getting stuck.
When a cross did get through to Lewandowski, the central defense around David Costa was alert and cleared the danger (19th and 45+1). The best chance of the game then fell to Raphinha, who took a cross from Lamine Yamal first time and failed to beat Aaron from a tight angle. The Catalans came out of the dressing room much improved.
Their attacks became more determined and the pressure on the visitors’ defense increased. This paid off in the 52nd minute when David Carmo lost the ball deep in his own half, bringing Lamine Yamal into play, who laid the ball off for Dani Olmo. The former Leipzig player finished precisely into the left corner from around 18 meters out.
Raphinha with a lob, Lamine Yamal with a side kick
Oviedo’s central defense, which had been so reliable in the first half, made another mistake just five minutes later. This time it was David Costas, whose back pass to his own keeper was too short. Raphinha was the beneficiary and made it 2-0 with a lob over Aaron.
After that, the hosts had everything under control. Flick’s team calmly kept the ball moving and their opponents running, occasionally striking without creating a string of clear-cut chances. Lamine Yamal, who played much more freely in the second half, provided the impressive finishing touch. The 18-year-old took a cross from Dani Olmo from around 15 meters out and buried the ball in the bottom left corner with a side-foot shot (74′). It was no surprise that Lamine Yamal received a standing ovation from the crowd when he was substituted five minutes later.
Not much happened after that. The game was long since decided. With the three points against the bottom team, who put up a very decent fight, especially in the first half, Barca are back at the top of the table, one point ahead of their unloved rivals from Madrid.
On Wednesday (9 p.m.), Barcelona will face Copenhagen in the Champions League. In La Liga, the Catalans will continue their campaign on Saturday (9 p.m.) at Elche. On the same day at 2 p.m., Real Oviedo will face Girona.