Real Valladolid, a team threatened with relegation, scored a 3-1 victory over the champions Barcelona on Tuesday. The win proved to be a crucial one for the hosts as they battle to remain in LaLiga. The victory moved Real Valladolid one place up to 17th, effectively moving them out of the relegation zone. The club is owned by former Real Madrid and Brazil forward Ronaldo. In their remaining two games, they will face Almeria and Getafe, who are also fighting to avoid the drop.
Barcelona, who won their 27th LaLiga title earlier this month, fell behind when defender Andreas Christensen scored an own goal. The defender was trying to clear a cross into the box but ended up heading the ball past his keeper in the second minute. Valladolid was awarded a penalty shortly after for Eric Garcia’s tackle on Gonzalo Plata, and Cyle Larin finished from the spot. Plata made it 3-0 in the 73rd minute, and the goal was awarded after a VAR check for a potential offside. Robert Lewandowski scored Barcelona’s only goal, pulling one back six minutes from time.
Anti-racism campaign
Before the match, players from both teams held a banner with the words “racists out of football,” which is one of the slogans of a campaign against racism launched jointly by the Spanish league, Spanish federation, and the government’s top sports authority. Anti-racism slogans were also shown during the national and international broadcast of the game.
Raphinha, a player from Barcelona, showed a message of support for Vinicius Junior, his teammate with Brazil who was the target of racist abuse from Valencia supporters during Real Madrid’s 1-0 loss at Mestalla on Sunday. The message was on Raphinha’s undershirt and was revealed when he removed his jersey after being substituted in the second half. It read: “As long as the color of the skin is more important than the glow of the eyes, there will be war” and “Vini, I’m with you.”
Despite having won the LaLiga title, Raphinha was disappointed with his team’s effort and suggested that they should play the remaining games of the season at a higher level. He stated that they lacked character and that they have to change things because there are still two games left. The player stated that they have to honor the club in these remaining games and step up. Manager Xavi Hernandez admitted that it was hard to find the proper motivation at this point in such a long season. He added that the players had made a huge effort this season, with many of them also being at the World Cup midseason, which took its toll. Xavi stated that the team had hit their targets, winning LaLiga and the Super Cup, but they also wanted to show up, which they did not do in the game against Valladolid. He concluded by saying that he did not like losing and that they have to get back to their best on Sunday, in front of their fans.
Earlier on Tuesday, the fourth-placed Real Sociedad beat Almeria 1-0. The Basque side can secure a Champions League spot for next season on Wednesday if Villarreal, in fifth, drop points at home against Cadiz.
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