Barcelona Player Evaluations vs Rayo Vallecano: Joan Garcia Eems to Salvage Drawn Match as Dani Olmo and Raphinha Fumble Key Chances; Lamine Yamal Stirs Controversy

Barcelona Draws 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano in Hansi Flick's La Liga Debut

Barcelona's perfect start in La Liga came to an end on Saturday, as they drew 1-1 against Rayo Vallecano in Hansi Flick's first match as head coach.

The game started off evenly, with both teams showing promising moments. However, it was Rayo Vallecano who took the lead in the first half through Fran Perez, who scored off a corner.

Barcelona's search for an equaliser saw several chances created, but Dani Olmo struggled to maintain possession in the final third and missed a golden opportunity to make it 2-1. Olmo was substituted after an hour, with Gerard Martin replacing him but looking just as suspect defensively.

Jules Kounde was booked early in the second half, while Pedri had a growing influence on the match. Frenkie de Jong, on the other hand, had a less impactful performance.

The equaliser for Barcelona came from a penalty, which was controversially won by Lamine Yamal. Yamal was a consistent threat throughout the game, although he ran down blind alleys occasionally. Eric Garcia played a couple of nice through-balls but also made risky passes in dangerous areas.

Raphinha had a poor performance, wasting two great opportunities in the first half and struggling to get anything going after the break. He was substituted by Marcus Rashford, who had a couple of bright moments but wasn't much of an improvement in the final 30 minutes.

Andreas Christensen made several last-ditch challenges to prevent Rayo from getting shots on goal, while Joan Garcia, Barcelona's goalkeeper, had several key saves during the match.

Robert Lewandowski found himself in the wars upon his return to action after injury and never got a sight of goal. Fermin Lopez struggled to get into the game, potentially his final appearance for the club.

Hansi Flick argued that his side would have won had they shown more composure in the penalty area. His high line comes with risks, and those were highlighted on multiple occasions by Rayo.

The draw leaves Barcelona in third place in La Liga, three points behind leaders Real Madrid and two points behind second-placed Sevilla. They will look to bounce back when they face Real Betis next weekend.

Barcelona Player Evaluations vs Rayo Vallecano: Joan Garcia Eems to Salvage Drawn Match as Dani Olmo and Raphinha Fumble Key Chances; Lamine Yamal Stirs Controversy