Barcelona settled for a 1–0 win against Celta Vigo to restore their nine point lead atop the La Liga standings, but an injury to Lamine Yamal will likely steal the headlines from Wednesday’s affair.
It wasn’t the dominant attacking onslaught may expected from Barcelona in their first game after enduring a painful Champions League elimination. Yamal’s penalty in the first half sufficed to collect three points that gets Hansi Flick’s men tantalizingly close to back-to-back La Liga titles.
Celta never really threatened Barcelona, but it was an odd and tense affair at the Camp Nou, with two injured Barça players exiting the contest and a medical emergency in the stands resulting in the first half lasting over one hour.
Still, Flick’s men got the job done and responded after Real Madrid’s Tuesday win. Only a massive collapse would see Barça squander their nine point lead with just 18 left to play for, but the celebrations on Wednesday were subdued.
The One Thing We Can’t Ignore
The story of the game unquestionably revolves around the fitness of Lamine Yamal, who left the pitch injured straight after putting Barcelona ahead in the 40th minute.
A powerful collision with Yoel Lago sent Yamal airborne, resulting in a penalty for Barça. Yamal fired his 16th La Liga goal of the term into the bottom corner, but he didn’t even celebrate his latest strike. Instead, he immediatly signaled to the bench that he had to be substituted, before dropping to the ground in evident pain.
Yamal gingerly walked off the pitch and went straight down the tunnel after a brief exchange with Flick. It’s unknown what the injury is, but the teenager was seen grabbing at his hamstring as he laid on the Camp Nou grass.
Barcelona have only six games remaining in 2025–26 and hold a comfortable nine point cushion in the La Liga title race over Real Madrid. Still, being without their best player for the run-in would be far from ideal.
If Yamal requires a lengthy spell on the sidelines, then Barcelona will have to wrap-up the league without their most dangerous player, who would join Raphinha in the treatment room for the coming weeks.
All eyes will be on Yamal’s injury diagnosis, not only Barcelona’s but the entirety of the soccer world and especially Luis de la Fuente’s and the Spain national team, with the 2026 World Cup just around the corner.
Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Celta Vigo (4-2-3-1)
GK: Joan García—8.5: A stunning early save set the tone for yet another magnificent showing to secure his league leading 13th clean sheet.
RB: Jules Koundé—7.3: The Frenchman struggled early with the pace of Celta’s wide players, but settled and had a fine showing defensively. He again looked overly passive in possession.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—7.8: Back after missing the second leg against Atlético through suspension and Cubarsí was one of the best players on the pitch. He intervened with tremendous efficiency and was poise whenever he needed to, delivering a dominant defensive performance.
CB: Gerard Martín—8.2: Like Cubarsí, he dominated. Another remarkably solid display from Martín, who handled his duties confidently, even putting his body on the line to block two Ferrán Jutglà shots that looked menacing.
LB: João Cancelo—6.6: Was involved and accurate early on, supplying width and depth down the left flank. Unfortunately for him, an injury forced him to exit the contest just 20 minutes in.
DM: Eric García—7.6: Did the dirty work in Barcelona’s midfield and made it look easy. He might go unnoticed to the casual eye, but he’s crucial for those ahead of him to operate with freedom.
DM: Pedri—8.1: Didn’t look very comfortable, and he still is struggling to find his best version. Still, Barcelona were at their best when the ball constantly found its way to Pedri, and he was denied of a sublime assist in Torres’s disallowed goal.
RW: Lamine Yamal—7.6: He was the best player on the pitch from the start, and he created and dispatched a penalty that turned out to be the game winner. But all eyes will be on his fitness status after he left the pitch after he scored the opener with an injury.
AM: Dani Olmo—6.8: One of those nights where Olmo’s tricks don’t quite produce the desired end-result, but he did slide a nice pass that resulted in the penalty Yamal dispatched.
LW: Gavi—6.3: Looked uncomfortable when tasked to operate near the touchline so he constantly drifted centrally to more familiar territory. Playing in Raphinha’s role, he constantly found himself too far up the pitch and with few options close to him to link up with.
ST: Ferran Torres—7.1: His movement was stellar, constantly stretching the back line and putting constant stress on his markers and was relentless in his pressing. He scored an absolute screamer, but he was unfortunately caught in an offside position.
SUB: Alejandro Balde (23’ for Cancelo)—7.1: Solid from Balde, who didn’t put a foot wrong defensively, and a couple of his trademarked runs generated dangerous actions.
SUB: Roony Bardghji (45’ for Yamal)—7.3: Was full of energy since coming on and tirelessly tried to make something happen. Still, he seemed to be a tad too excited, leading to poor decisions. Almost scored a wonderful goal from range, though.
SUB: Fermín López (46’ for Gavi)—7.2: A good showing from López, who was constantly involved in the final third and was equally energetic defensively, where he contributed to a number of recoveries and turnovers to halt Celta’s advances.
SUB: Frenkie de Jong (73’ for Rashford)—6.3: Completed all 17 of his attempted passes in his 293rd appearance for Barça, the most of any Dutch player in club history.
SUB: Marcus Rashford (73’ for Torres)—6.2: An anonymous cameo from the Englishman, who touched the ball just 10 times.
Subs not used: Diego Kochen (GK), Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), Álvaro Cortés, Tomás Marques, Ronald Araújo, Marc Casadó, Xavi Espart, Robert Lewandowski.
What the Ratings Tell Us
- It will go under the radar because of Yamal’s own fitness woes, but João Cancelo’s injury is also a costly blow for Barcelona. The Portuguese had overtaken Alejandro Balde for the starting role with his strong run of form, but now the door is open for the La Masia graduate to reclaim his place. With Cancelo pushing for a permanent move to Barça, this setback could be devastating.
- He might not have found the back of the net, but Ferran Torres continued his stellar surge in form with his third-straight strong showing. He’s firmly secured the starting striker role for the run-in, further contributing to what’s looking like the end of the Robert Lewandowski era in Catalonia.
- Speaking of the end of an era, it looks like it’ll take a miracle for Marcus Rashford to extend his stint in Barcelona for more than one season. With Raphinha sidelined, Rashford seemed certain to start consistently, but Flick has opted to use Gavi and Fermín López ahead of the Englishman in recent contests. The writing is on the wall, and it’s not looking good for Rashford.
- Barcelona’s defense has deservedly come under fire for their Champions League demise. But today, both Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín were brilliant, and the pair continues to be rather dominant domestically.
The Numbers That Explain Barcelona’s Nervy Win
HUGE WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/13McvLcAka
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 22, 2026
- Barcelona’s prolific attack was shut-down, producing a non-penalty xG of just 0.45 compared to Celta’s 1.41.
- It took Barcelona more than 30 minutes to register their first shot on goal and then could only muster one attempt on target in the second half.
- Joan García was Barça’s hero, evidenced by Celta wasting the two big chances they created because the goalkeeper was there to deny the visitors.
| Statistic | Barcelona | Celta Vigo |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 61% | 39% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.23 | 1.41 |
| Total Shots | 10 | 6 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 3 |
| Big Chances | 2 | 2 |
| Passing Accuracy | 94% | 87% |
| Fouls Committed | 13 | 10 |
| Corners | 5 | 3 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Celta Vigo: Yamal Injury Stains Eighth Straight La Liga Win.
