Barcelona Drop First Points of the Season Away to Rayo Vallecano

Defending champions Barcelona dropped their first points of the new campaign after being held to a 1-1 draw by hosts Rayo Vallecano in Matchday 3 of La Liga.

Barça had opened the season with an forceful 3-0 win over Real Mallorca, then staged a comeback to beat Levante 3-2 after trailing by two goals, but on Sunday evening they could not come away with more than a draw. They were even close to defeat despite taking the lead, but the heroics of new goalkeeper Juan García spared them a bitter loss.

The match sparked major controversy even before kickoff due to a technical malfunction in the VAR system, which prevented the referee from reviewing an incident where star Lamine Yamal was brought down inside the box. The referee awarded a penalty, which the No. 10 converted himself, giving the Catalan side the lead on a very poor pitch.

After Jorge de Frutos had a goal disallowed for offside (64’), Rayo Vallecano hit back and equalized in the 67th minute when substitute Fran Pérez’s first-time strike crashed off the crossbar and into the net, after a corner from Isi Palazón.

Keeper García once again came to Barça’s rescue with a brilliant stop to deny Ratíu (72’), before following it up with another save on De Frutos (73’), and in stoppage time he thwarted Camello to prevent a first defeat of the season.

Bilbao’s Winning Run Continues

Athletic Bilbao, who finished fourth last season, continued their brilliant start with a third straight victory, this time away to Real Betis with a 2-1 win.

The Basque side, back in the Champions League this season, claimed their first league victory at Betis’ stadium since December 22, 2017 (2-0), aided by Betis defender Marc Bartra who turned the ball into his own net from a corner (60’). Aitor Paredes then doubled the lead with a header, also from a corner.

Before the referee’s final whistle, Betis pulled one back through Congolese substitute Cédric Bakambu, who headed home from a cross by Dominican Junior Firpo (90+7).

With the win, Bilbao joined Real Madrid at the top of the table on nine points each, while Barcelona failed to keep pace with them.

Villarreal, also competing in the Champions League this season, could have claimed their third straight win as well, but hosts Celta Vigo salvaged a 1-1 draw in the dying moments.

After opening the season with a 2-0 victory over newly promoted Real Oviedo, back in La Liga for the first time since 2001, Marcelino’s side added another big win on Sunday, thrashing Girona 5-0. They looked set for their first away win at Celta since January 8, 2021, when they beat them 4-0.

Ivorian forward Nicolas Pépé put Villarreal ahead early in the second half from a pass by Cameroon-born Frenchman Karl Toko Ekambi (53’), but under heavy pressure — with Celta enjoying 65% possession — the Yellow Submarine conceded a heartbreaking equalizer in the fourth minute of stoppage time, when substitute Borja Iglesias nodded in to give the hosts their third consecutive draw.

Espanyol also came out on top, defeating Osasuna 1-0 thanks to Carlos Romero’s strike in the 52nd minute, moving up to 7 points while the visitors remain on three.