Barcelona produced a second-half comeback to defeat Real Valladolid 2-1 on Thursday. This has kept their grip on top spot in La Liga. It has also helped them gain momentum ahead of their upcoming clash with Inter.
Despite being virtually relegated, Valladolid showed no signs of backing down. The hosts stunned Hansi Flick’s men early, as Iván Sánchez’s effort deflected off Ronald Araújo. Then, he spun awkwardly beyond Marc-André ter Stegen just six minutes into the goalkeeper’s return from injury.
Raúl Moro tested Ter Stegen again shortly after, while Pau Víctor forced a pair of saves at the other end. Barcelona’s attacking efforts from Ansu Fati and Fermín López blocked as Valladolid stubbornly held their lead into the break.
Dani Rodríguez showed flashes of quality before unfortunately exiting due to a shoulder injury, while Lamine Yamal’s introduction injected more urgency into the visitors’ play.
Flick made key changes at halftime, introducing Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong. Raphinha made an instant impact latching onto a poor punch from goalkeeper André Ferreira.
Just minutes later, Barcelona completed the turnaround when Gerard Martín’s delivery was met by Fermín.
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