Liga leaders Barca make stunning comeback to beat Celta Vigo

Barcelona, Apr. 21: Barcelona pulled off a stunning comeback from two goals down to beat Celta Vigo 4-3 on Saturday and move seven points clear of Real Madrid in the La Liga title race.

The Catalans trailed 3-1 inside the final half-hour after a Borja Iglesias hat-trick for the visitors, but Dani Olmo scored and then Raphinha equalised before he snatched victory with a 98th minute penalty to snatch three essential points for the leaders.

"This attitude, this mentality of not giving up, is really great to see... we tried everything to get the three points and we did it," Barcelona coach Hansi Flick told reporters.

The coach, who railed against his team's intense schedule on Friday, rested teenage star Lamine Yamal for the first time in 2025, although he was later needed from the bench after Iglesias' treble.

The Catalans took the lead after 12 minutes when Ferran Torres strolled into space and with the defence standing off, drilled past Vicente Guaita from the edge of the box.

Celta Vigo swiftly hit back, skewering Barcelona's high defensive line three minutes later with Pablo Duran crossing for Iglesias to roll home.

Celta, eighth and in contention for European football next season, were finding plenty of joy going forward.

Claudio Giraldez's team took the lead early in the second half after a mistake by Frenkie de Jong allowed Iglesias to drive a low effort beyond the reach of Wojciech Szczesny.

With Barcelona on the attack Celta hit them again with Iglesias galloping through and firing home with ease.

Inspired by substitutes Yamal and Olmo, Barcelona battled back.

Raphinha nudged a pass through for Olmo to beat Guaita and rouse the Olympic stadium crowd from its stupor.

Four minutes later the Brazilian winger scored himself, heading home as Yamal crossed from the right.

Barcelona were awarded a penalty deep in injury timewhen Olmo was clumsily clattered from behind by Yoel Lago.

Raphinha took responsibility and hammered into the top-right corner to earn his team a dramatic and potentially vital victory.

Later Saturday Javi Munoz's 93rd-minute strike earned Las Palmas an important 1-0 La Liga win over Atletico Madrid, hammering another nail into the coffin of the Rojiblancos' title ambitions. Diego Simeone's side, third, now trail leaders Barcelona by 10 points.

Atletico's season is virtually over and although the coach insisted his team would fight until the end for La Liga, their chances of mounting a comeback are next to none.

Lewandowski injury confirmed 

Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski was diagnosed with a hamstring injury on Sunday and is set to miss the Copa del Rey final and Champions League semi-final according to Spanish media reports.

The 36-year-old Polish forward, Barcelona's top goalscorer with 40 goals across all competitions, came off during his team's 4-3 La Liga win over Celta Vigo on Saturday.

"Tests carried out on Sunday have confirmed that first-team player Robert Lewandowski has a semitendinosus injury in his left thigh," said Barcelona in a statement, without specifying how long he would be sidelined for.

Spanish media reported Lewandowski could be out for three weeks, meaning he would not be available next Saturday as Barcelona face Real Madrid in the Copa final in Seville.

The La Liga leaders also host Inter Milan on April 30 in the Champions League semi-final first leg, and visit the Italians on May 6.

Lewandowski is set to miss league games against Mallorca on Tuesday and Valladolid on May 3, with a potential return against Real Madrid on May 11, a match which could decide the title race.

Barcelona, who won the Spanish Super Cup in January, are chasing a potential quadruple and are in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2019.

Coach Hansi Flick has used Ferran Torres through the middle as a replacement for Lewandowski before, and has also experimented with Dani Olmo operating as a false nine.(AFP)