Barcelona boss Hansi Flick was left fuming after his side squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Celta Vigo. The Catalan giants had seemed set for a comfortable victory, but a late collapse allowed the hosts to snatch a crucial point.
Raphinha opened the scoring in the 15th minute, and Robert Lewandowski doubled the lead just after the hour mark. However, Celta Vigo staged a dramatic comeback after Marc Casado’s late red card, with Alfon Gonzalez scoring in the 84th minute and Hugo Alvarez netting the equaliser two minutes later.
Flick was scathing in his criticism of his players, slamming their lack of confidence with the ball and overall dismal performance. “It wasn’t just the last 10 minutes,” he said in his post-match press conference. “It was the whole match. We played a really bad game. We have to be honest. We made a lot of mistakes, also in the first half, and we weren’t confident with the ball.”
The German coach added, “We didn’t play the football we’re used to. We were lucky with some situations, and in the end, we got a point. We have to react because it can’t be repeated. These are things that can happen, but we have to look forward. The least bad thing is that it’s only one match, and we got a point, but we’re not happy, and neither are the players. Everyone can play better than today.”
The draw saw Barcelona’s lead at the top of the table reduced to five points. They will look to bounce back on Tuesday night in the Champions League against Brest.
Image Credit: Getty Images Sport