January 05, (THEWILL) – Barcelona extended their unbeaten away run in La Liga to nine matches with a dramatic late 2-1 victory over Las Palmas on Thursday night. The win means Barcelona have not lost to Las Palmas in the top flight since February 1986.
Yet, Barcelona’s defensive issues from 2023 carried over into the new year, as they fell behind early to an opener from former player Munir El Haddadi. Las Palmas dominated the first half and came close to a second when Javier Munoz hit the post. Barcelona looked relieved to go into halftime only 1-0 down.
Whatever manager Xavi said at halftime had an effect, as Barcelona equalised soon after the breakthrough Ferran Torres. However, neither side could find a winner in normal time. Xavi even surprisingly substituted Robert Lewandowski as Barcelona searched for the three points.
The game exploded into life in injury time when Daley Sinkgraven brought down Ilkay Gündogan in the box and was sent off. Gündogan dusted himself off to slot home the penalty and grab the winner for Barcelona.
The victory keeps Barcelona within striking distance of the top two in La Liga as they continue to mount a title defence and challenge in 2024.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
