Barcelona 4-3 Celta Vigo: Barca edge past visitors in seven-goal LaLiga thriller with dramatic Raphinha penalty

LaLiga leaders Barcelona pulled off a sensational 4-3 comeback win over Celta Vigo on Saturday, with a stoppage-time penalty from Raphinha sealing all three points in a pulsating clash at the Olympic Stadium. The victory extends Barcelona’s lead at the top of the table to seven points over arch-rivals Real Madrid, who play Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Celta Vigo’s Borja Iglesias delivered a stunning hat-trick to leave the home side reeling, but Barcelona rallied late, with Dani Olmo drawing a crucial penalty deep into added time and Raphinha converting from the spot in the 98th minute to cap off the comeback.

"This is football. We wanted to win this game but we weren't always at our best. But the team came through in the end and the crowd pushed us on right to the finish," said Dani Olmo, who came off the bench to score and help spark the turnaround.
"It's three points towards our objective but we have to keep going."

Barcelona took an early lead when Ferran Torres cut through the midfield and fired a low shot past Vicente Guaita for his 10th LaLiga goal of the season. However, Celta hit back almost immediately through Iglesias, who tapped into an empty net after Wojciech Szczesny misjudged a cross from Pablo Duran.

Iglesias struck again early in the second half after a defensive error from Frenkie de Jong, pouncing on a long ball and coolly finishing past Szczesny. He completed his hat-trick moments later by exploiting Barcelona’s high line, bursting through on the counter and slotting home to make it 3-1.

Barcelona, stunned by the turnaround, responded with urgency. Olmo reduced the deficit in the 64th minute after a slick move involving Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, and four minutes later, Raphinha himself leveled the score with a towering header from Lamine Yamal’s cross.

"He (coach Hansi Flick) told me we needed to play a little more calmer. We just needed to connect with each other better," Olmo added.

Just when the match seemed destined for a draw, Olmo was brought down in the box, and after a VAR check, the referee pointed to the spot. Raphinha stepped up and blasted the penalty into the top corner for his 30th goal across all competitions this season.

Despite their strong performance, Celta Vigo were left frustrated by the late twist.
"It's a bittersweet feeling because we did a lot of things right. They've got such a high level, especially in the final third. They're capable of these things," said Pablo Duran.
"We should be very proud of ourselves, coming here and showing a lot of character, playing our football. For a lot of the game we were better than them, but we go away with a bad feeling because of the result."

Celta remain seventh in the table with 43 points, while Barcelona take a big step toward securing the LaLiga title with another dramatic victory.

SportsLigue