Celta Vigo 2-0 Barcelona: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Gomez & Aspas Dent Title Celebrations

?Barcelona heavily rotated their squad against Celta de Vigo on Saturday and their changed side were unable to boost the club’s title celebrations, suffering a 2-0 defeat at the Abanca-Balaídos.

The hosts took their time to get a foothold in the match but quickly they were the most dominant side in the game, even though Fran Escribá’s side struggled to really test Jasper Cillessen in between the sticks for Barcelona.

Chances were few and far between before the half-time whistle, but Celta Vigo appeared to break the deadlock shortly after the restart when Néstor Araujo knocked in a loose ball when Cillessen spilt Gustavo Cabral’s header.

The Video Assistant Referee, however, adjudged that Araujo’s heels were in an offside position following the initial header and the goal was chalked off, much to the relief of Barcelona.

But even technology couldn’t stop Celta Vigo breaking the deadlock later in the second half, with Maxi Gómez meeting a cross from Ryad Boudebouz to squeeze a shot inside Cillessen’s near post.

Celta went on to double their lead thanks to a confident penalty, which was awarded after Moussa Wagué’s handball, from Iago Aspas and the hosts held on for a vital three points in their efforts to survive relegation.

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Celta de Vigo

Player Ratings

Blanco (7), Mallo (8), Cabral (7), Araujo (7), Olaza (6); Boudebouz (7), Yoku?lu (6), Lobotka (7), Boufal (7); Aspas (8), Gómez (8).

Substitutes: Méndez (7), Jozabed (6), Beltrán (6).

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Barcelona

Key Talking Point

There’s only real one real takeaway for Barcelona fans from this one, and that’s simply who really cares?

The La Liga title is already in the bag, while all their attention is currently on the second leg of their Champions League semi-final clash against Liverpool.

It was a good chance for the youngsters to get some minutes under their belts and the likes of Carles Aleñá, Riqui Puig and Jean-Clair Todibo impressed throughout large spells of the match, although in the end Celta Vigo just had too much for Barça’s young side.

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Player Ratings

Cillessen (7), Wague (6), Todibo (8), Umtiti (6), Vermaelen (6); Puig (7), Arthur (7), Aleñá (7); Dembélé (5), Boateng (6) Malcom (7).

Substitutes: Collado (6), Vidal (6), Murillo (6).

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STAR MAN – Jean-Clair Todibo

January arrival Jean-Clair Todibo didn’t have a chance to mark his authority on the second half due to an injury, but his first-half performance ensured that Barcelona were in a great position to pick up some points on their travels.

While Samuel Umtiti looked solid throughout the match, it was Todibo’s last-ditch defending which kept Celta Vigo out for as long as Barcelona did.

– Todibo : reads defensive situations well, focused, composed on the ball. The more I watch him play, the more I like him.
– One caracteristic I like in Aleña & Puig : always quick to counter-press. Zero laziness.
– Arthur doesn’t have the reflexes of a DMF :)#CeltaBarça #HT

— Captain ? (@CaptnGuardiola) May 4, 2019

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Good performance from Todibo. Showed a lot of composure on the ball & pace.

— J Asante (@Jnicee17) May 4, 2019

Carles Aleñá and Riqui Puig were also very impressive in midfield, but with such little action going on ahead of them, it was Barcelona’s defensive players who stood out more than their teammates.

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Looking Ahead

Celta Vigo will be looking to keep themselves above the relegation zone when they travel to face Athletic Bilbao next week, while Barcelona have the second leg of their Champions League semi-final before hosting Getafe in their last home game of the season.

Let’