After a long saga, Dani Olmo was finally registered as a Barcelona player for La Liga, and he delivered in his first match against Rayo Vallecano. He turned his critics into fans with his performance. German mastermind Hansi Flick subbed him in at the 46th minute in place of Ferran Torres, who struggled significantly in the first half at Estadio de Vallecas. But just after stepping onto the pitch, Olmo showcased his class, delivering some beautiful passes that could have easily been converted into goals.
At the 58th minute, Olmo received the ball, took a couple of steps, and unleashed a devastating shot from distance that unfortunately hit the crossbar. Had he kept it on target, it would have been a historic moment, scoring such a spectacular goal on his debut. However, he didn’t disappoint the fans. In the 82nd minute, Yamal found Olmo with a cut-back pass into the box, and the debutant took one touch before expertly finding the bottom corner with his weaker left foot, securing Barca’s win.
Earlier, at the 9th minute, Rayo Vallecano took the lead with a beautiful goal from Unai López on his 200th La Liga appearance, assisted by Jorge de Frutos from the right flank.
But in the 60th minute, Pedri leveled the score at 1-1 with a superb ball from Raphinha on the left.
Barcelona looked a bit shaky in the first half, with less possession than the Los Franjirrojos side. They lost the ball frequently and struggled with their finishing. The home team showed great confidence on the pitch, creating several crucial threats for the visiting team. However, it was a completely different story in the second half when Flick made some tactical changes, providing Pedri with a partner like Olmo to support him in midfield.
When Balde came on with his speed on the left, combined with the chemistry between Pedri and the new face Olmo, the whole team suddenly started fighting back. Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Yamal began receiving more support and extraordinary passes, which led them to secure 3 points—a feat Barcelona had been unable to achieve in the last three seasons. It was Hansi Flick’s magic that helped Barcelona to snatch every possible point from this match.