Barcelona 3-2 Celta Vigo: Player ratings as Robert Lewandowski's double helps Blaugrana win from two goals down | La Liga 2023-24
Barcelona came from two goals down to beat Celta Vigo 3-2 at the Estadi Olimpic on Saturday, September 23.
The Spanish champions made a sluggish start and found themselves trailing in the opening quarter when Strand Larsen beat the offside trap and found the far corner. The visiting side then soaked in the pressure before doubling their lead when Aspas’ defence-splitting pass sent Anastasios Douvikas free. The Greek player made no mistake to put his side 2-0 up.
The Catalans then staged a remarkable comeback in the closing minutes, when Robert Lewandowski buried Joao Felix's pin-point delivery, with some help from the crossbar, to reduce the deficit.
With momentum on their side, Barcelona attacked with purpose and it paid dividends as the Pole levelled the scores soon after. Joao Cancelo then scored his first goal for the club with just a minute left in normal time to complete the turnaround.
On that note, here are the player ratings for Barcelona:
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen - 6/10
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen came up clutch many times in the game and stopped Celta Vigo from running away with the game. He couldn't do much for any of the three goals conceded.
Joao Cancelo - 7/10
Joao Cancelo made up for an otherwise poor performance with an assist and scoring the winning goal. He was immense going forward and very shaky in defence.
Joules Kounde - 6/10
Joules Kounde was at fault for Celta Vigo's first goal and struggled to deal with Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Andres Christensen - 5/10
Andreas Christensen had a nervy time throughout the game and was rightfully withdrawn on the hour mark. He struggled with nerves and looked like he had a mistake or two in him before he was taken off.
Marcos Alonso - 6/10
Like Joao Cancelo, Marcos Alonso was good going forward and looked troubled when defending. Switched to a central role after Andres Christensen's withdrawal.
Oriol Romeu - 6/10
Oriol Romeu offered Barcelona defensive solidity in the middle and kept things ticking for the team. He made a good clearance before half-time to ensure the Catalan side did not go into the break two goals down.
Ilkay Gundogan - 6/10
Ilkay Gundogan played in an advanced role but failed to make any big impact. He was decent on the ball but failed to find gaps in Celta Vigo's defence.
Frenkie de Jong - 5/10
After starting the match amidst rumours of being possibly rested, Frenkie de Jong didn't last long as he limped off midway through the first half.
Ferran Torres - 5/10
Ferran Torres struggled to make an impact. He had a relatively quiet first half and didn't do any better after the break. The Spaniard had a great chance in the second half when he had placed the ball wide with just Ivan Villar to beat.
Joao Felix - 6/10
Joao Felix struggled to make an impact against Celta Vigo, who sat deep and did not leave any space behind them. He picked up a good assist for Robert Lewandowski’s goal with a lobbed pass.
Robert Lewandowski - 7/10
After a quiet 80 minutes on the pitch, the Pole came to life with a well-taken brace that set his team on its way to a win.
Ratings of Barcelona substitutes
Gavi - 6/10
Gavi replaced Frenkie De Jong after the latter picked up an injury. He took time to settle down but ran the show late on, and picked up the assist for the winner.
Ronald Araujo - 5/10
Ronald Araujo replaced Oriol Romeu at half-time. He did not have a good return from injury as he was caught out of position for Celta Velta’s second goal.
Lamine Yamal - 5/10
Lamine Yamal replaced Marcos Alonso and didn't do anything noteworthy.
Alejandro Balde - 6/10
Alejandro Balde replaced Andreas Christensen on the hour mark and gave Barcelona a threat down the flank.
Raphinha - 6/10
Raphinha replaced Ferran Torres with a little more than a quarter of an hour to go and did well to keep Lucas de La Torre occupied.