With the last match of the La Liga campaign, comes joy, relief, and some sadness for all clubs involved.
For Barcelona and the rest of the teams in the same zone, feelings of relief reside over their squads as another long campaign has come to an end, and a well deserved moment of rest has arrived as well.
For others, like Barca’s opponent today, stress was high and focus was absolute, as RC Celta and a handful of other clubs were battling it out to avoid the dreaded word for all clubs that don’t sniff the top ten of the table.
Relegation.
Barca were sure to face off against an energized Celta side, that had their La Liga lives to play for in a match that meant absolutely nothing to Barca. As expected, the atmosphere at the Balaídos was electric and were eagerly awaiting another chance to fend for their lives.
How did the action pan out? Well, let’s find out.
First half
The first half went as expected.
Celta were on the front foot for the most part, as their energy was desperately needed in order for them to fend off relegation.
Barca tried to combat it on their own, but the substitutes that started the match simply didn’t stand a chance when the ball was initially kicked off. Especially in the midfield, where the likes of Franck Kessie, Eric Garcia, and Frenkie De Jong couldn’t really penetrate through the middle and cause Celta problems.
Although De Jong looked like the way better player out of the two, which is important.
As the first half went along, things started to tilt a little more towards Celta, as their pressure began to mount on Barca’s shoulders with each passing second. And that pressure was rewarded near the break for halftime, as Gabri Veiga found a way to slide a shot past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen to give Celta a 1-0 lead.
The goal was disappointing in Barca’s point of view, as Ter Stegen was battling for the all time single season clean sheet record amongst all top five leagues. But with that goal being counted, the record was out of reach for Ter Stegen, which was sad in a way.
That goal put the first half to close, as Barca was down a goal, but seemingly not in any hurry to change the situation. The match meant nothing to them whatsoever, so it’s hard to blame them for acting that way.
But still, anything could happen, so Barca had another half to play.
How did that ensuing half shake out? Well, let’s just say it was more of the same.
Second half
The second half was a bit of a blur as well.
Celta got another goal later in the half, again by Gabri Veiga, as his mishit cross looped its way past Iñaki Peña and into the back of the net. At that point it was 2-0 Celta and the match itself just didn’t feel interesting at all.
Which again, is explainable given the league is already won and there’s nothing else Barca can do with the remaining La Liga matches. There was some hope for a little bit of intrigue after Ansu Fati scored a goal to make it 2-1.
It was a pretty finish after a gorgeous cross from Ousmane Dembélé.
But after that goal, Barca pretty much flamed out and looked pretty ready for the season to be done. And after a grueling season filled with so much stress, you can’t really fault them for feeling that way.
The match ended 2-1, with Celta narrowly avoiding relegation and Barca ready to hit the hay for a bit.
Final word
The La Liga season is finally over.
What a ride, filled with so many ups and downs. So much stress, and so much intensity. Before the World Cup began, things looked pretty dire. Barca had been grouped in the Champions League after some crucial injuries in the defense. Moreover, their situation in the league wasn’t one to be impressed with either.
But credit has to go to Xavi. After the World Cup, Barca clawed their way back into the La Liga title race. They also looked destined to go far in the Europa League. But their health situation didn’t help them with that either.
Either way, it was a good season for Barca. But there could’ve been much more won. Now all that’s left is to look ahead to the summer. The club will hope to get the financial situation in order. And then, they will make some signings so the foundation can rise once again next season.
Visca el Barca y visca Catalunya!
Barca’s next match
Barca’s next match will be on Tuesday afternoon. Barca will take on Vissel Kobe in Japan to commemorate Andres Iniesta’s last game with the Japanese club.
See you all then!
