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Barcelona laboured to a hard-fought 2-0 win away to Las Palmas at the Gran Canaria Stadium on Saturday night, ensuring they will finish the weekend at the top of the La Liga table. Despite struggling to create chances against a well-organized Las Palmas side, it was two substitutes that scored in the second half to seal the win and maintain Barcelona’s lead with 13 games remaining.
The first half saw Barcelona struggle to turn their possession into chances. Despite dominating the ball and spending significant time near the opposition’s box, they struggled to complete the final pass to unlock Las Palmas’ defense. The Catalans’ players lacked patience up front, often attempting passes or shots from distance that were easily blocked or dealt with by the hosts.
Las Palmas, on the other hand, looked dangerous on the counter-attack, and Wojciech Szczesny made crucial saves to prevent the hosts from scoring. One notable save came when Szczesny denied a Las Palmas player with a diving stop, to exhibit his exceptional reflexes. The halftime whistle brought an end to a frustrating opening half for Barcelona, who needed to improve their efficiency in the final third to find the winning goal.
Starting the second period, Hansi Flick made a tactical change, introducing Dani Olmo as a substitute. Olmo’s creativity and finishing ability paid off at the hour mark, as he scored with an impressive left-footed strike off the bar to put Barcelona ahead. The goal — a result of a quick counter-attack, which caught Las Palmas off guard.
Although Barcelona couldn’t build on the momentum of the goal, they managed to keep Las Palmas at bay and prevent them from creating threatening scoring opportunities. A late scare arose when Las Palmas defender Álex Suárez’s shot hit Eric García’s arm inside the box, prompting the hosts to appeal for a penalty. However, a VAR review denied the hosts a penalty due to an offside in the buildup.
Frenkie de Jong was introduced as a substitute to help Barcelona control the pace of the game and run out the clock. The visitors sealed the win in the 96th minute when Ferran Torres, another substitute, scored a stunning goal off the bar to end Las Palmas’ hopes. Torres’ goal came through a well-worked move, which saw him receive a pass on the edge of the box before unleashing a powerful shot that found the back of the net.
The final whistle came shortly, signalling the end of a challenging away trip for Barcelona, but they did show their resilience and determination to stay top of the league. Las Palmas gave good account of themselves and made Barcelona earn the win, as the Catalans’ substitutes made the difference in securing the maximum three points on the night.
