Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano battled to a scoreless draw at Camp Nou to earn a point in their La Liga opener.
With the exception of Jules Kounde, who they were unable to register in time, this was Barca’s first opportunity to showcase their new additions in a competitive atmosphere after a summer spent desperately pulling at financial levers.
How Did The Game Progress?
Robert Lewandowski, who was expected to make his maiden La Liga start, remained largely unnoticed in the opening period as the home team battled to establish a rhythm in attack.
Raphinha, another of Barcelona’s new signings, had a chance to win a penalty just under 10 minutes in when he got in behind on the right.
He was brought down in the box by Fran Garcia but Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez, the referee, chose not to step in since it was a minimal contact.
That seemed to upset the former Leeds player, who went on to waste a number of set-pieces and good chances.
While he linked well with Ousmane Dembele, switching flanks with him midway through the first half as Xavi Hernandez attempted to disturb Rayo’s defense, he failed to hit the target twice after being set up in a great position.
Although Barca enjoyed the majority of the ball, Rayo had the finest chance of the first half shortly before the break when Alvaro Garcia raced down the left wing, cut inside, and with a deft shimmy, sent Ronald Araujo the wrong way.
He appeared to be on his way to scoring, but Marc-Andre Ter Stegen stopped the chance at close range.
In the second half, Rayo continued where they had left off. Pathe Ciss won the ball high up the field and started an offensive that culminated in Sergio Camello rounding Ter Stegen.
With the goal at his disposal, he waited, enabling Ter Stegen to scamper across the goal face before attempting a challenging dinked finish that nearly missed the target.
How Did Xavi React In The 2nd Half?
At the 60-minute mark, Xavi made three substitutions, replacing Raphinha, Christensen, and Gavi with Frenkie de Jong, Sergi Roberto, and Ansu Fati, respectively.
After then, Barca became much more forceful, creating greater opportunities for Lewandowski and closing the gap between themselves and their opponents.
With Stole Dimitrievski making some incredible saves on Ansu Fati and Sergio Busquets, Barca was unable to break the stalemate.
❝The objective is to win trophies❞
🗣 Xavi pic.twitter.com/cbEcep8dz7
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 14, 2022
With just under 10 minutes remaining, Xavi introduced Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in search of a late winner.
Aubameyang blasted a shot at goal with goalkeeper Dimitrievski exposed after Lewandowski set him up but unfortunately for Barcelona, Alejandro Catena made a superb goalline clearance.
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To make matters worse late on, Busquets was sent for a careless elbow on Radamel Falcao in stoppage time.
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