Las Palmas 2-1 Barcelona (30 Nov, 2024) Game Analysis - ESPN (UK)
Revised: November 30, 2024, 4:09 PM
Barcelona, the leaders of LaLiga, had their 125th anniversary festivities dampened by a surprising defeat to Las Palmas, who won 2-1 on Saturday. Fábio Silva netted the decisive goal, leaving Barcelona without a league victory for their last three matches.
In a match where Barça controlled the game with 70% possession and launched nearly 30 shots on goal, it was Las Palmas who capitalized on their limited opportunities to secure an impressive victory.
Barça still has 34 points, maintaining a four-point advantage over second-placed Real Madrid, although Madrid now has two games left to play. Meanwhile, the win boosted Las Palmas to 14th place, bringing their total to 15 points.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick expressed, "I believe that when we fail to score, it creates challenges for the team, and that’s something we need to improve."
"If we don't manage to score, we might still be able to prevent the other team from scoring. That means we all need to improve our defense—not just the defenders or the last four players, but the entire team. We can definitely do better at this."
In the early part of the first half at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Las Palmas consistently managed to find openings in Barcelona's penalty area. However, they were unable to capitalize on these opportunities and score, despite generating several chances.
Barcelona also had to substitute their full-back Alejandro Balde due to an injury in the first half. The 21-year-old was transported off the field on a golf cart.
Image by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
The Catalan team had a tough time getting around the Las Palmas defense. Just before half-time, Raphinha made a quick counter-attack but his shot hit the crossbar.
Las Palmas took the lead shortly after the break with a brilliant team effort that began with goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. The impressive passing sequence ended with Sandro Ramirez, another former Barcelona player, finding the net from just outside the penalty area.
Nonetheless, the substitutions made in the second half, particularly the addition of the newly named Golden Boy Lamine Yamal, allowed Barça to take control of the game. They equalized shortly after the 60-minute mark when Pedri spotted Raphinha in a gap close to the edge of the penalty area.
The speedy Brazilian winger spun around and hit a low shot with his left foot, sending the ball past Cillessen and leveling the score at 1-1. That marked his ninth goal in the league this season.
Las Palmas remained undaunted and regained the lead when Silva, on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, managed to slip past the offside trap. He received a pass from Javi Muñoz and successfully scored against goalkeeper Iñaki Peña.
The home team fought hard to level the score, and Raphinha's free kick was deflected over the bar by Cillessen.
LaLiga's leading goal scorer, Robert Lewandowski, had a couple of chances to equalize in the dying moments of the match. However, his header narrowly missed the target, and his subsequent shot was thwarted by the defenders.
"I'm really thrilled; this is a huge victory for our team. We put in a lot of effort and faced many challenges. These three points are crucial," said Las Palmas midfielder Alberto Moleiro.
"We kept our formation tight and minimized the gaps between players, which was crucial. When we had opportunities to score, we capitalized on them effectively."
