Barcelona continue disappointing Vallecas streak after being held to draw by Rayo Vallecano – Football España

Barcelona have had a difficult few weeks, and Xavi Hernandez’s side have been under significant pressure from all sides. That looks to be continuing as they have failed to defeat Rayo Vallecano at Vallecas, with the match finished in a 1-1 draw.

Xavi made several changes to the side that defeated Alaves unconvincingly two weeks ago, with the big news being Frenkie de Jong making his return after two months out. He captained the side, with Marc-Andre Ter Stegen out with a back injury.

Ter Stegen’s replacement, Inaki Pena, was in the firing line early on as he has to make two saves in the opening minutes. However, he was unable to keep out Unai Lopez’s 30-yard stunner, which curved out of the reach and into the far corner.

Rayo just about deserved their lead, having played very well in the first half. In the second period, Barcelona dominated the play, and they had several changes to score, but failed to take any until the 79th minute, when Florian Lejeune turned Alejandro Balde’s cross into his own net.

Barcelona were unable to find the winner, meaning that they are three points behind league leaders Girona and one behind Real Madrid, having played one game more than both.