Barcelona edge past Valladolid to maintain lead over Madrid

 Barcelona extended their lead at the top of LaLiga to seven points with a 2-1 comeback victory over already-relegated Real Valladolid on Saturday, thanks to second-half goals from Raphinha and Fermin Lopez.

Barça now sit on 79 points, ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who will face Celta Vigo on Sunday. Hansi Flick’s side will next travel to Inter Milan for the second leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday, following a 3-3 draw earlier in the week.

Valladolid took a surprising early lead, going 1-0 up after just six minutes. Iván Sánchez latched onto a through ball from Raúl Moro and delivered a deflected cross into the far post past Marc-André ter Stegen. The German keeper was making his return after seven months out with injury, though Flick later confirmed Wojciech Szczesny would be in goal for the upcoming Inter match and the Clásico against Real Madrid.

"I was really looking forward to playing this game, and it’s always better when you win," said Ter Stegen to DAZN. "We’ve kept our good run going, which was important. Now we look forward to the next few weeks, with some big games ahead, which will be exciting for everyone."

"Going 1-0 down is always tough, no matter who you're playing. They had nothing to lose and worked hard, especially with the fans behind them, but we did what was needed, won the game, and now we move on."

Despite the setback, Barcelona pushed for an equalizer before halftime, but they were thwarted by Valladolid keeper André Ferreira, who made crucial saves to deny Ansu Fati and Lopez.

The game was briefly halted after 19-year-old debutant Dani Rodríguez required medical attention and was replaced by Lamine Yamal. Barcelona also lost midfielder Gavi to injury in the second half, though it appeared less serious.

"I think Gavi is okay," Flick said. "I hope it’s nothing serious. He told me after the match that he's fine, but we’ll need to wait until tomorrow to be sure. I feel really sorry for Dani; he was so excited about his debut after coming back from injury. He showed what he can do in training, and we’ll make sure he’s well taken care of."

Barcelona found their rhythm after the break, with Raphinha scoring a beautiful half-volley into the bottom corner in the 54th minute, following a parried cross from Yamal. Lopez completed the turnaround on the hour mark, firing home from distance after a perfectly timed pass from Gerard Martín.

Barcelona continued to press for a third, with Hector Fort hitting the post on a counter-attack and Yamal’s shot cleared off the line by Antonio Candela.

Valladolid remained a threat late on, with Ter Stegen denying substitute Juanmi Latasa, and Moro coming close in the final minutes, but Barcelona held firm to secure the win.

"When you make nine changes, it's not easy for those coming in," Flick said. "They’re young players, but I have full confidence in them. They give everything on the pitch. It wasn't easy, but we controlled the game well."