Barcelona 4-3 Celta Vigo: Raphinha penalty seals dramatic late win in Montjuïc thriller

Barcelona edged past Celta Vigo with a thrilling 4-3 victory at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, thanks to a last-gasp penalty from Raphinha deep into stoppage time.

The hosts initially took the lead through Ferran Torres, only for Borja Iglesias to hit back almost immediately for Celta. The striker then completed his hat-trick early in the second half, punishing a series of defensive mistakes by Barça. However, Dani Olmo and Raphinha struck back quickly to level the scores, before the Brazilian international held his nerve from the spot in the 98th minute to complete a dramatic comeback.

The result sees Barcelona stay seven points clear of Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga, having played one game more.

As it happened

Barcelona started brightly and took an early lead after 12 minutes, as Ferran Torres latched onto Iñigo Martínez’s precise pass before driving forward and firing a low shot into the bottom-left corner. However, their advantage evaporated almost immediately. Just three minutes later, Borja Iglesias capitalised on a mix-up between Szczesny and Martínez to tap in an equaliser for Celta Vigo.

Despite dominating possession, Barça’s defensive fragility continued to haunt them after the break. A hopeful long ball from Yoel Lago in the 52nd minute exposed the hosts once again, as Iglesias raced clear and calmly slotted past Szczesny to put Celta ahead. Ten minutes later, Iglesias completed a remarkable hat-trick, finding the net for a third time following more slack defending to give Celta a 3-1 lead at Montjuïc.

With Barça’s unbeaten LaLiga record under serious threat, Raphinha took matters into his own hands. First, the Brazilian winger created a spark of hope, sliding a clever assist into the path of Dani Olmo, who steered a crisp finish beyond Guaita to make it 3-2. Just minutes later, Raphinha himself pulled Barcelona level, timing his run perfectly to meet Lamine Yamal’s cross and planting a downward header past the stranded goalkeeper.

Raphinha’s influence continued to grow as the match entered a chaotic final phase. He remained Barça’s most dangerous outlet, repeatedly driving at Celta’s tiring defence. In stoppage time, after Dani Olmo was clipped inside the box, it was the Brazilian who stepped up to seize the moment. Following a tense VAR check and a long delay, he kept his cool to smash home the decisive penalty in the 98th minute—crowning a talismanic performance and securing three vital points for Hansi Flick’s side.

The lineups

BAR: Szczesny; Koundé, Cubarsí, Martínez, Martin; Pedri, de Jong, López; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Ferran.
CEL: Guaita; Carreira, Lago, Alonso, Rodríguez; Beltrán; Durán, Moriba, Swedberg; Losada; Iglesias.