Dani Olmo made a spectacular debut for Barcelona, scoring a last-minute goal that secured a 2-1 victory against Rayo Vallecano, thus maintaining the team’s perfect start to the Spanish league season. Olmo’s decisive strike came in the 82nd minute, following a pass from Lamine Yamal, as he aimed a low left-footed shot into the far corner of the net.
Barcelona is currently the only team with three wins from three matches this season. Olmo, who was registered with the first team just hours before the game after his transfer from Leipzig, made his entry at halftime, taking the place of Ferran Torres. “I was anxious to debut, and it couldn’t have been better,” Olmo expressed, adding he was pleased to contribute to the team’s success.
The 26-year-old, who previously trained at Barcelona’s renowned La Masia youth academy, had nearly found the net earlier in the match, hitting the crossbar in the 58th minute. New Barcelona coach Hansi Flick acknowledged Olmo’s impact, saying, “He scored the goal; this is why we are happy he is in our team. We deserved these three points.”
Rayo Vallecano, celebrating its centenary this season, took the lead in the ninth minute with a close-range goal from Unai López. Two minutes after Olmo hit the bar, Barcelona leveled the score with Pedri converting a shot from near the penalty area, assisted by Raphinha. Robert Lewandowski thought he had given Barcelona the lead in the 71st minute, but his goal was ruled out after a video review determined that a foul had been committed by defender Jules Koundé in the build-up.
Flick described the win as “sad” due to an injury to 17-year-old midfielder Marc Bernal late in the second half. “We win; it’s okay, but when you see the dressing room, no one is happy,” he remarked.
The match followed the announcement of Rayo’s signing of Colombian playmaker James Rodríguez, who watched from the stands. Rodríguez, 33, had recently terminated his contract with Brazilian club Sao Paulo after a strong performance in the Copa America, where he helped lead Colombia to a second-place finish and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. This marks his return to the Spanish league four years after leaving Real Madrid for Everton in the Premier League.
Barcelona began the season successfully with wins against Valencia and Athletic Bilbao. Rayo Vallecano, on the other hand, had opened their season with a win against Real Sociedad and a draw with Getafe.
In another match, Sevilla and Mallorca played out a 0-0 draw, leaving both teams without a win after three rounds of play, following losses in their initial matches. Sevilla’s Saúl Ñíguez received a red card in the 89th minute for arguing with the referee.