By Olaitan Ibrahim
Barcelona’s 125th-anniversary celebrations were left in tatters as struggling Las Palmas secured a historic 2-1 victory at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Saturday.
The defeat extended Barca’s winless run in La Liga to three games and handed Real Madrid a golden opportunity to close the gap at the top of the table.
Former Barcelona forward Sandro Ramírez opened the scoring for the visitors early in the second half, delivering a sharp reminder of his quality with a precise strike from the edge of the box.
Although Raphinha restored parity with a brilliant equaliser, Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Fábio Silva sealed the victory for Las Palmas, capitalising on a defensive lapse to score the decisive goal.
Balde injury
Barcelona’s afternoon went awry early on as left-back Alejandro Balde was stretchered off in the 26th minute following a heavy collision with Sandro.
The injury cast a shadow over the game, with the 21-year-old receiving medical attention on the field before being taken off on a golf cart.
Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances—26 shots in total—Barca struggled to find a way past a resolute Las Palmas defense led by veteran goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.
Las Palmas strikes, Raphinha equalises
Las Palmas, sitting in the relegation zone before the game, executed a sublime counterattack move in the 51st minute.
The goal marked Sandro’s triumphant return to his former club and sparked celebrations from the Las Palmas bench.
Barcelona’s response came in the 62nd minute when Lamine Yamal, recently crowned Golden Boy, injected energy into the side after coming off the bench.
A quick one-two between Pedri and Yamal found Raphinha in a pocket of space.
The Brazilian winger, turning swiftly, fired a powerful left-footed strike into the bottom corner to make it 1-1—his ninth league goal of the season.
“I always try to help the team,” Raphinha said after the game. “But today, it wasn’t enough. We must regroup quickly and focus on the next match.”
Silva silences Barca
Las Palmas, undeterred by the equaliser, struck back just 10 minutes later.
Javi Muñoz threaded a perfectly timed pass through Barca’s high defensive line, allowing Fábio Silva to break free and calmly slot the ball past Peña. It was Silva’s fifth league goal of the campaign and the dagger that secured all three points for Las Palmas.
“We stayed very compact and didn’t leave a lot of space between the lines,” Las Palmas midfielder Alberto Moleiro said. “That was the key. When we created chances, we made the most of them.”
“It’s frustrating,” said Barcelona coach Hansi Flick.
“We had the chances, we had the possession, but we lacked the killer instinct. If we don’t score, we have to defend better as a team—not just the backline but everyone.”
Title race open
The defeat leaves Barcelona with 34 points, just four points ahead of Real Madrid, who now have two games in hand.
A win for Madrid against Getafe on Sunday could reduce the gap to a single point, setting up a tense title race as the season approaches its midpoint.
Meanwhile, Las Palmas climbed out of the relegation zone to 14th place.
“We’re very happy. It’s such a big win for us,” Fábio Silva said. “We worked hard; we suffered, but we got the result. These three points are massive for our season.”
The loss marked Barcelona’s first home defeat to Las Palmas since September 1971.