Barcelona defeated 2-1 by Las Palmas in historic home loss

KATHMANDU: Barcelona were defeated at home for the first time this season, as Las Palmas secured a historic 2-1 victory on Saturday night.

The Canary Islands club achieved their first-ever win at the Camp Nou in 50 years.

Las Palmas’ goals came from Sandro Ramírez and Fábio Silva. Under the leadership of new coach Hans-Dieter Flick, Barcelona had made a stellar start to the season, winning eight consecutive home games.

The team had previously triumphed over Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Champions League. However, they have now failed to win their last three La Liga matches.

Before this loss to Las Palmas, Barcelona had suffered a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad and drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo after losing a two-goal lead in the final minutes.

This defeat denied Barcelona the opportunity to cut the gap to Real Madrid to just seven points.

Barcelona forward Raphinha expressed concern over the team’s recent performance, stating, “We need to seriously analyze what we are doing wrong. To win the league, we need to change our approach.”

The loss also marked the first win for Las Palmas over Barcelona since the 1971-72 season, with the team securing only three victories at the Camp Nou in history. Sandro Ramírez reflected on the achievement, saying, “This is a historic win. We achieved this thanks to our hard work.”

Las Palmas took the lead in the 49th minute, with Ramírez finishing off a superb five-pass move. Barcelona equalized in the 61st minute through Raphinha, who scored from a Pedri assist.

However, Fábio Silva netted the decisive goal in the 67th minute, securing the historic win for Las Palmas.

Barcelona’s young star Lamine Yamal, who was sidelined with a knee injury for three weeks, returned to the field after halftime. However, his shot was saved by goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.

In other injury news, left-back Alejandro Balde was forced off early in the game after a clash with Ramírez, suffering injuries to his chest and neck. He was stretchered off the field.

To mark Barcelona’s 125th anniversary, a new mascot, a yellow cat, was unveiled. Despite the mascot’s debut, the unexpected defeat dulled the celebrations at the club.