Barcelona secures a comeback victory against Las Palmas

Barcelona secured a late victory in La Liga’s first match of the year against Las Palmas. Despite a challenging night with a 1-1 draw and an early injury to Joao Cancelo, Xavi’s team clinched three points with Ilkay Gundogan’s injury-time penalty. The win narrows the gap to leaders Real Madrid to seven points. – Score updates at 24hscore!

Although Las Palmas outplayed Barcelona for the majority of their return to La Liga action, Ilkay Gundogan’s injury-time penalty stole the win for an underperforming Barcelona, which eventually reduced the gap to seven points with Real Madrid and Girona.

After Munir El Haddadi beat Inaki Pena to a 50-50 ball and turned it into the net, Barcelona, who had been second best in the first half, justifiably went behind. After 40 minutes, Sandro struck the post, nearly doubling Las Palmas’ advantage.

But Xavi’s team talk and the personnel changes had the desired impact, as Barcelona looked sharper and more focused against their fatigued hosts after the break.

Ten minutes into the second half, Gundogan took advantage of a push in the penalty area to earn the spot-kick that proved to be the winning goal. Ferran Torres’ equalizer had more than a tinge of luck about it, but it had felt inevitable.

A disappointing Robert Lewandowski was replaced by new €40 million acquisition Vitor Roque, who started the game from the bench. However, Xavi was dealt another blow early on when Joao Cancelo left with a knee injury.

Late in the game, following Gundogan’s penalty, Roque did lose one crucial opportunity as he nearly ran over Joao Felix’s ball and missed the goal. But the 18-year-old quickly settled in and shown more in 10 minutes than he did in 80.

The Pole hardly made an impression on the game, spending as much time arguing with his teammates as he did pressing the rival defense.

However, it was his cheek that set up Torres’ first goal; the ball struck Lewandowski in the face and fell to Sergi Roberto, who then set up Torres for a simple finish past goalie Alvaro Valles.

However, as time drew up, Las Palmas had just as many clear-cut opportunities as the visitors, and Barcelona were destined to remain nine points behind Real Madrid and Girona until Gundogan got up off the ground to score a vital penalty.

This is the German’s third goal of the season after scoring against Real Madrid and Girona, but it was striking in and of itself that Barcelona was celebrating this injury-time victory over a freshly promoted team. He has saved his best for important situations this season.

TALKING POINT: BARCA’S FLAWS ON DISPLAY

Barcelona revealed weaknesses on both attack and defense against Las Palmas, prompting questions about their performance in the first half, where they struggled against the hosts.

Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s absence due to a back injury until February is keenly felt by Xavi.

In the initial period, Inaki Pena appeared outmatched, allowing Munir to capitalize on Sandro’s low cross and secure the lead. Pena’s subsequent struggles and misjudgments put his team in jeopardy.

⚠️ There's a Tigrinho on the loose! ? pic.twitter.com/d27E0iLCpV
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 4, 2024

Andreas Christensen, stepping in for Cancelo, also showed early lapses, with Sandro standing out in the first half.

Despite these challenges, Barcelona deserves acknowledgment for a second-half comeback, with their midfield taking control. The efforts of Gundogan, Frenkie De Jong, and Sergi Roberto deserved a goal. The lingering question now is whether they can build on this performance in their upcoming match.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: FERRAN TORRES

While the game lacked standout performances, Ferran Torres showcased Barcelona’s shift in attitude before and after halftime.

Xavi’s decision to include Torres in the starting lineup initially raised eyebrows as he had a quiet start, almost facing substitution with Joao Felix ready to step in. However, Torres rewarded his manager’s faith with a brilliantly taken finish to equalize.

Believing until the last second! ?❤️?? #ViscaBarça pic.twitter.com/nwCaDiXVju
— Ilkay Gündogan (@IlkayGuendogan) January 4, 2024

In a crowded penalty area, Torres got the ball and effectively had no space to elevate his foot for a proper shot. Instead, he drove it so fast that Valles was caught off guard and could barely reach it with his fingertip.

In direct contrast to Lewandowski, he never gave up on getting the win and continued to motivate the team.

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Scores for players

Las Palmas:

Munoz 8, Perrone 7, Rodriguez 7, Munir 7, Sandro 8, Moleiro 7. Valles, Suarez 7, Coco 8, Marmol 8, S Cardona 7, Munoz 8, Perrone 7. Subs: Sinkgraven 1, M Cardona 6, Loiodice 6, Pejino 7.

Barcelona:

de Jong 7, Gundogan 6, Roberto 7, Raphinha 6, Lewandowski 4, Torres 8. ena 4, Cancelo 6, Araujo 7, Kounde 5, Balde 6, Ena 7. Subs: Yamal 6, Felix 7, Roque 7, Lopez 7. Christensen 5.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MATCH

12’ – GOAL! LAS PALMAS 1-0 BARCELONA (MUNIR): The two former Barcelona players team up to give the hosts the lead! They’ve been the superior team so far, slicing through an apparently organized Barca defense with just two passes. Sandro finds himself in a surprising amount of space on the right wing, producing a perfectly curled low cross for Munir to capitalize on. Pena should’ve closed it down, but Munir’s hunger pays off. Game on!

22’ – ALMOST 2-0! Sandro outplays Kounde after swapping wings, and a quick one-two with Alberto Moleiro puts him through on goal. He slides at full stretch to reach the ball before Pena, winning a corner, but the Islanders can’t capitalize.

32’ – GOLDEN CHANCE! Frenkie de Jong delivers an inch-perfect pass to Sergi Roberto, who peels off the last defender and controls it sublimely. However, he attempts to square it to Lewandowski instead of taking on the shot himself, and Las Palmas scrambles it to safety.

39’ – MUNIR IN AGAIN: A quicker player could have scored there. Barcelona is dispossessed in midfield again, and Kiran Rodriguez smartly pushes the ball for Munir to chase. His first touch isn’t great, and Las Palmas settles for a corner. Sandro takes the ball from the set piece, fires an arcing shot that narrowly misses Pena’s left-hand post. It was inches away from greatness…

55’ – GOAL! LAS PALMAS 1-1 BARCELONA (TORRES): Barcelona performs better this half, and their effort is rewarded. There’s a hint of luck as a Las Palmas clearance hits Lewandowski in the head, falls to Sergi Roberto, who shuffles it to Ferran Torres. The forward produces a smart finish past Valles, who had played well and still got a hand to it.

90+1’ – PENALTY! BARCELONA HAVE BEEN SAVED! Felix releases a stinging shot that Valles can only palm out, with Gundogan rushing in at the back post. The ball is probably too high for him to reach, but he leaps to the ground acrobatically under pressure from Sinkgraven and earns the penalty. The German will take the spot-kick too…

90+3’ – GOAL! LAS PALMAS 1-2 BARCELONA (GUNDOGAN): Perfect from Gundogan, heartbreak for Las Palmas. He hits it low, and Valles goes the wrong way. The crowd doesn’t like it, but that’s surely game over.