Ended 1-2: Stoppage-time winner from Barça shows Amarillos who’s Haddadi.

Las Palmas has not managed to defeat Barcelona in the top tier since February 1986. Despite taking a lead in the first half, Los Amarillos lost 2-1 to the Catalan giants, extending Barcelona’s undefeated streak in away league matches to nine.

Barcelona experienced a familiar scenario as they entered the new year with ongoing issues, especially in defense. Despite facing numerous defensive challenges in 2023, the team continued to struggle in their 2024 opening match. Having already conceded more LaLiga goals this season than in the entire previous campaign, it was not surprising when Barcelona fell behind early. Two former players, Sandro Ramírez and Munir El Haddadi, came back to haunt them, with Ramírez setting up El Haddadi to score the opening goal and give Las Palmas an unexpected lead.

Rather than responding energetically, Barcelona failed to pick up the pace, allowing Las Palmas to maintain pressure and seek a second goal. Las Palmas came close to scoring again when Javier Muñoz unleashed a powerful shot from a distance, but Iñaki Peña made a remarkable save, with Sandro’s follow-up hitting the post. Barcelona likely felt relieved to reach halftime with only a one-goal deficit. Xavi’s halftime talk seemed to spur a reaction, as Raphinha narrowly missed scoring shortly after the restart.

The pressure on Las Palmas increased, and it eventually became too much for them. A fortunate deflection fell favorably to Ferran Torres, who confidently scored, leveling the game. Instead of intensifying their efforts to secure a win, Barcelona experienced a lull after equalizing. In an unusual move, Xavi substituted Robert Lewandowski when a victory was crucial to keeping up with LaLiga’s top two teams.

One of the substitutes, debutant Vitor Roque, nearly justified the decision when he seized upon an under-hit back pass. However, Las Palmas goalkeeper Álvaro Valles swiftly intervened to prevent any mishap. Despite their efforts, Las Palmas self-destructed late in the game when Daley Sinkgraven fouled İlkay Gündoğan in the penalty area, receiving a red card. Gündoğan composed himself and calmly converted the penalty, securing a late win for Barcelona and keeping them within striking distance of LaLiga’s frontrunners.