Raphinha Seals Dramatic Victory for Barca with Last-Minute Penalty in Seven-Goal Clash Against Celta

A dramatic last-minute penalty in the 98th minute helped Barcelona establish a seven-point lead over Real Madrid at the pinnacle of LaLiga, as they staged an impressive comeback from two goals down to secure a thrilling 4-3 victory against RC Celta de Vigo in Catalonia. This result halted Los Celestes’ four-match unbeaten streak away from home.

Despite having faced challenges against Celta recently — including a 2-2 draw earlier this season where they squandered a two-goal advantage — Barcelona’s strong head-to-head record and solid home performances appeared to provide Hansi Flick with a sense of confidence heading into the match.

Robert Lewandowski and Inigo Martínez both came close to scoring before the opener, which saw Ferran Torres skillfully manoeuvre past Marcos Alonso to drive a precise right-foot shot into the far corner.

However, just three minutes later, Celta seized the advantage on a counterattack. A sweeping cross from Pablo Durán was poorly judged by Wojciech Szczesny, allowing Borja Iglesias to slot the ball into an open net.

Barcelona’s response was far from convincing, and they were fortunate to head into half-time with the scores level. The final pass often went astray, with Lewandowski and Raphinha struggling to find their rhythm, while Celta created their share of opportunities, notably when Ilaix Moriba and Iker Losada forced Szczesny into a superb double save.

Although Claudio Giraldez made adjustments for the second half, Celta maintained their attacking threat and remarkably took the lead once again.

Frenkie de Jong misjudged a long ball from Yoel Lago, allowing Iglesias to break free and unleash a powerful strike into the bottom-left corner.

Szczesny managed to deny Iglesias a third goal soon after, but Celta’s attacking prowess opened up Barcelona’s defence once again, allowing the former Betis player to secure his hat-trick with a clever flick past the Polish goalkeeper.

However, Barcelona, the league’s leading scorers, swiftly equalised. Raphinha first set up Dani Olmo, who finished coolly, before Raphinha himself soared to meet a cross from Lamine Yamal to nod in the second.

Both teams exchanged chances, but fans were forced to wait until the dying moments of stoppage time for a thrilling winner. After Lago brought down Olmo in the box, a VAR review confirmed the foul, and Raphinha calmly slotted the penalty past Vicente Guaita.

It’s a rarity when a player nets a hat-trick yet still ends up on the losing side, but that’s exactly the fate of Iglesias, whose side couldn’t hold on. Barcelona, meanwhile, maintain their cushion over Real Madrid as they approach a challenging run-in, including the LaLiga El Clásico in May, while Celta must find their winning touch again to secure a coveted European berth, last achieved in the 2016/17 season.