Rayo Vallecano 2-3 Barcelona: Victory in the middle of chaos
Luis Suarez was the hero with two goals and Ousmane Dembele grabbed the other in a stunning comeback
Luis Suarez struck twice as Barcelona extended their lead at the top of La Liga with a thrilling and extremely fortunate victory over Rayo Vallecano.
RAY
2 ________________ 3
FCB
LINE UP
Rayo Vallecano
Alberto (c), Advíncula, Gálvez (Velázquez, min. 70), Jordi Amat, Álex Moreno, Imbula, Santi Comesaña, Embarba, Trejo, Pozo y Raúl de Tomás (Alex Alegría, min. 64).
FC Barcelona
Ter Stegen, Sergi Roberto, Piqué, Lenglet, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets (c), Rakitic, Arthur, Rafinha (Dembélé, min. 51), Coutinho y Luis Suárez.
Goles
0-1, min. 11: Luis Suárez remata con la izquierda tras un pase de Jordi Alba desde la línea de fondo. 1-1, min. 35: Pozo se encuentra en la frontal del área con un rechace de Lenglet y dispara ajustado al palo izquierdo de Ter Stegen. 2-1, min. 57: Álvaro marca a placer tras un remate de De Tomás al palo. 2-2, min. 87. Dembélé marca con un disparo cruzado tras un pase de Piqué. 2-3, min. 89: Suárez remata a bocajarro un centro al área de Sergi Roberto.
Árbitro
Hernández Hernández (comité canario). Amonestó con cartulina amarilla a Amat (min. 5), Lenglet (min. 17), De Tomás (min. 48), Jordi Alba (min. 69) y Velázquez (min. 90+2).
Incidencias
Partido de la 11ª jornada de LaLiga Santander, disputado en el estadio de Vallecas ante 14.000 espectadores.
Ernesto Valverde showed respect to Barcelona’s 19th place opponents by picking the same side he put out last weekend in the Clasico, and his team got off to a fast start.
Suarez broke the deadlock in the 11th minute after a sensational, swooping Rakitic pass found Jordi Alba, who cut the ball back for the Uruguayan hitman.
It was his eighth of the league season, taking him above his friend and strike partner Lionel Messi.
Rafinha, selected again in place of the injured Messi, worked hard on the right, but Barcelona missed the quality and magic the Argentine always delivers.
Rayo Vallecano should have levelled after half-an-hour but Pozo fired inches wide with the goal gaping as Sergi Roberto stood off him.
It was a terrible miss but the midfielder made amends a few minutes later, equalising with a fine curling effort from outside the area, in off the post.
It was no less than Rayo deserved and they went ahead before the hour mark, when substitute Alvaro Garcia struck from close range after Raul de Tomas’s effort beat Ter Stegen, hit the post and flew across the goal into his path.
Barcelona looked short on ideas. They were creating nothing.
Valverde threw on Ousmane Dembele and Arturo Vidal for the invisible Coutinho and Arthur, but the subs weren’t helping either, until they were.
Dembele wasted the ball a few times and drew anger from Vidal in particular, who reprimanded the Frenchman, but it was Dembele who levelled in the 87th minute, with a snappy half-volley.
And Suarez, again, struck in the 90th minute to win it for Barcelona, sliding in at the back post to stab home and break Rayo hearts.
