As they continued their stumbling towards the Liga title, Xavi’s team gave up twice and saw a comeback attempt fall short.
In a 2-1 setback that put the brakes on title celebrations, Barcelona was pummelling by a tenacious Rayo Vallecano press, and their midfield trio had a horrible evening.
Within the first 20 minutes, Rayo’s Alvaro Garcia scored their first goal by firing a shot into the bottom corner following a well-executed counterattack. Robert Lewandowski’s goal for Barcelona appeared to be an equalizer, but the striker was just barely offside.
Fran Garcia added a second goal for Rayo, breaking in unmarked on goal as a reported summer signing for Real Madrid.
And despite Lewandowski’s late, powerful comeback, Barcelona was made to regret a careless performance. It won’t be long before Xavi’s team is crowned La Liga champions. But they aren’t making it easy, with just one victory in their previous five.
