Barcelona experienced their inaugural home loss of the season as Las Palmas pulled off a surprising 2-1 victory against the Spanish league leaders at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Saturday.
Under the guidance of new coach Hansi Flick, Barcelona had been performing exceptionally well in the first three months of the season. Prior to hosting Las Palmas, Barça had been on a high after securing convincing wins against Real Madrid in La Liga and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, maintaining a perfect record of eight consecutive home victories to kick off the campaign.
However, Flick’s team has now gone three La Liga rounds without a victory. Before the defeat to Las Palmas, Barcelona lost 1-0 to Real Sociedad and drew 2-2 against Celta Vigo. The latest setback saw Sandro Ramírez and Fábio Silva, on loan from Wolves, score for the Canary Islands club, with Raphinha’s equalizer in between.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal made a return as a half-time substitute after recovering from a right ankle injury that had kept him out for three weeks. However, Jasper Cillessen, the Las Palmas goalkeeper, performed admirably, saving Yamal’s best effort and pushing Raphinha’s free-kick over the bar in the closing moments.
The loss also overshadowed Barcelona’s 125th anniversary celebrations and the introduction of the club’s new mascot, a large yellow feline named ‘Cat’. The name is a nod to Barcelona’s status as the premier club in Catalonia, with the four red stripes on Cat’s forehead symbolizing the Catalan flag. Cat was unveiled at an anniversary gala on Friday night, following the tradition of the club using historical landmarks to introduce new mascots, such as the short-lived ‘Clam’ created for Barça’s 100th anniversary.
Barcelona’s arch-rivals, Real Madrid, who have faced their own challenges, particularly in Europe, can now surpass Barcelona in the standings if the reigning La Liga champions win their two outstanding games.
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