U.D. Las Palmas vs. F.C. Barcelona: Match Review
Image Source: Barca Universal
Barcelona beat Las Palmas 2-1 in the closing seconds of a hard-fought match on Thursday night at the Gran Canaria Stadium to start the new year with a vital victory, but it wasn’t an easy feat. Despite being outmatched and trailing in the first half, Barça rallied to take the lead in the second half thanks to three crucial points from Ilkay Gündogan, who played the role of a late hero. This victory moved Barça up to third position in the La Liga standings.
The first ten minutes of the match were disastrous for Barça, as they lost one of their best players, João Cancelo, to what looked to be a knee injury. They also gave up a goal after Las Palmas was able to break through the Blaugrana defense with ease, and two former Barça players combined to put them behind as Munir El-Haddadi scored from Sandro Ramírez’s cross to give the home team the lead. Due to the catastrophic start, Barça had to play with greater urgency.
The Blaugrana attempted to implement their game plan, which called for hitting long balls in behind Las Palmas’ high line to create opportunities. They had multiple excellent opportunities to equalize, but a number of offside calls and poor choices in the closing third denied the visitors. For the remainder of the game, Las Palmas’ strategy of playing an offside trap and frustrating Barça was evidently well-executed. Barça needed to improve greatly in order to mount a second-half comeback because they were behind at the interval and had not even begun to create a serious chance.
In the second half, Barça improved significantly, moving the ball more quickly and timing their runs more precisely to evade the offside trap and open gaps behind Las Palmas’ high line. With much of the game remaining, the Blaugrana looked and felt more threatening. Ten minutes into the half, they equalized after a Barça corner was not successfully cleared by the home team. Ferran Torres took advantage of the situation and hit the net to make it 1-1.
In search of a solution that would result in the game-winning goal, Xavi Hernández turned to his bench. Vitor Roque made his debut, displaying a great deal of enthusiasm and intensity as he attempted to make an immediate impression. However, time passed without Barça making any progress, until João Félix, another substitution, saw the keeper block his effort, leaving Ilkay Gündogan alone at the far post to head the rebound home. However, Daley Sinkgraven shoved him in the back before he could score, and the Las Palmas defender received a straight red card for thwarting a clear chance to score.
Gündogan took the initiative to score from the spot, giving Barça a lead that would be vital to maintain in the closing seconds. When the final whistle blew, the Blaugrana were victorious even though Vitor Roque had a huge opportunity to score on his debut to seal the outcome.
The second half’s response was outstanding, despite the first half’s lackluster attitude. Football was played much better, and there was a strong sense of perseverance throughout. This is a significant victory for the team’s self-esteem and Barça’s chances of winning the championship, and these three points can prove to be really valuable in five months. The confidence the team gained through this win will be vital as they go away on the 7th of January, to face 4th division side Barbastro in the Copa Del Rey.
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