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Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 3-1 in a La Liga match at Camp Nou last night to go to 63 points from 27 matches. Barca now lead second-placed Atletico Madrid by 7 points and look almost certain to win their 26th LaLiga title. Rayo Vallecano, on the other hand, still remain in the relegation zone with 23 points in 27 matches.
Rayo Vallecano had taken the lead in the 23rd minute of the match through a strike by Raul De Tomas. However, Barca scored through Gerard Pique, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the 38th, 51st and 83rd minute respectively to clinch yet another win.
The Catalans will now face Olympique Lyonnais next week in the return leg of the Champions League round of 16 encounters. They are eyeing a treble this season, and look good enough to achieve that objective.
Now, let's take a look at 3 things we learned from yesterday’s match:
1. Rayo score through a swift counter-attack
Barcelona have conceded some goals through counter-attacks this season. Teams like Valencia and Sevilla have scored against them in this fashion, and Rayo did the same yesterday. Arturo Vidal conceded possession in the opposition half, and a long ball was played to De Tomas, who was playing as Rayo’s lone forward.
De Tomas showed good ball-control and dodged past Pique to take a rasping shot to the left corner of Barca’s goal, which beat Ter Stegen comfortably. It was De Tomas’ 35th goal in 57 matches for Rayo, and the former Real Madrid player impressed with his speed and finishing abilities.
Rayo played with a 5-4-1 formation for the majority of the first half, as their primary intent was to stop Barca from scoring. This strategy was quite understandable, as they would have been more than happy to get a point against a mighty opposition in an away match.
Therefore, they sat deep and allowed Barca to make probing runs into their penalty box. To their credit, the Rayo defenders absorbed pressure very well, and made some timely challenges inside the box to stop the Barca forwards from scoring. They also went into attack intermittently, and stunned the home team with a great strike from De Tomas.
2. Messi at it again as Barca made a comeback
Messi is almost always in the thick of the action as long as he is on a football pitch, and yesterday was no exception. He was hardly given any shooting space near the Rayo penalty box, as the defenders kept blocking his way. Still, he tried to cut in through the inside-right channel and took some shots at the opposition goal.
However, Messi again delivered for Barcelona, as Pique headed home from his exquisite delivery from a free-kick. Pique has a brilliant header on him. He ran past the Rayo defense to meet Messi’s excellent cross. It was his 45th goal for Barcelona in 484 matches.
Messi also converted a penalty in the second half to notch up his 34th goal of the season. He now looks almost certain to win the European Golden Shoe for yet another time. The great man continues to deliver for the Catalan giants in almost every single match.
3. Suarez and Vidal worked tirelessly for Barca:
Arturo Vidal was a tireless worker in the Barcelona midfield last night and roamed everywhere inside the opposition half. He also won some battles in the air and took some shots at goal. Ivan Rakitic did not start for Barca last night, and both Arthur Melo and Sergio Busquets were playing in a more defensive role for them.
That is why the onus was on Vidal to take the attack to the Rayo defense from the midfield, and he performed his duties flawlessly. Suarez was also tireless in his approach in the final third and made some penetrations into the Rayo penalty box. However, some of his attempts were foiled by the Rayo defenders in the first half.
Suarez finally got rewarded for his hard work and scored his 20th goal of the season in the 83rd minute of the match. The 32-year-old forward might not stay with Barca for long and he is making the most of the opportunities he is getting there this season.
