After a disappointing performance against Chelsea in the Champions League, Rafinha scored an early brace and Dani Olmo scored twice as Barcelona beat Alaves 3-1 in La Liga on Saturday.
Lamine Yamal also failed to display his usual attacking flair against Stamford Bridge in midweek, putting in an inspired performance to shake off Barcelona’s 3-0 defeat. The 18-year-old star scored Barcelona’s equalizer and twice came close to adding to the score against Alaves, including hitting the post late in the first half.
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Raphinha, who was the driving force behind Barcelona’s double domestic title last season, looked like his former sharp self at the Camp Nou in his first start in two months after recovering from a right hamstring injury. He only had limited minutes in last weekend’s game against Athletic Bilbao, and came on as a late substitute against Chelsea before manager Hansi Flick started him.
Rafina twice ran behind the defense on the left side of the area, and in the 8th minute and 26th minute, he combined passes with Yamal and Olmo to score the goal.
Olmo added a third goal in stoppage time, scoring from a one-two passing combination with Yamal.
Barcelona’s fourth consecutive win in La Liga puts them two points behind leaders Real Madrid, who will visit Girona on Sunday.
After spending a month without their top playmaker, Barcelona has received a further boost with the return of Pedri Gonzlez.
Pedri came on for Rafinha with 30 minutes remaining. The Spanish midfielder has been out for a month with a muscle injury in his left leg.
Yamal’s shot into the top of the net canceled out Pablo Evenes’ early goal when Barcelona failed to defend Alaves’ corner kick and the attacking midfielder fired from close range.
Alaves, who have struggled to score all season, turned out to be far more dangerous than expected. With the score at 1-1, Barcelona goalkeeper João Garka had to put his body forward to block Kalebe’s shot.
