It was far from their best performance of the season, but the Catalan outfit – who had just qualified for the Champions League semi-finals days before – found a way to win, with Raphinha keeping his cool to convert a decisive penalty in the 98th minute of the match.
As soon as the full-time whistle blew just a few moments later, coach Hansi Flick ran on to the pitch to celebrate with Raphinha. The pair shared an emotional embrace, one which symbolised the bond they have developed over the 2024/25 campaign, a season which has gone better than both men surely expected.
For Raphinha, he has been transformed under Flick. With 30 total goals and 23 assists across all competitions this season –15 and 11, respectively, in LALIGA EA SPORTS – Raphinha has more than doubled his goal contributions from his first two seasons in the blue and red of Barça.
As the Brazilian explained in an interview following Saturday’s win, he was considering leaving the club in the summer of 2024, before Flick convinced him otherwise.
“He has changed practically everything for me,” Raphinha told DAZN after the RC Celta game. “I was on my way out of the club before the season started, but the coach was really important in changing my mind and getting me to stay at the club. He put his faith in me to do what I’m doing. He has changed it all for me. I’m having my best season in football and I owe everything to him.”
Flick had praise of his own for the forward, especially the way Raphinha has become a leader whose winning attitude inspires the entire dressing room. The coach stated in the post-match press conference: “Raphinha is really important and always has a positive attitude which is contagious to the others. I told him that we needed him and he did a really good job. The comeback was incredible.”
From 1-3 to 4-3: A memorable comeback for FC Barcelona
If FC Barcelona do go on to lift the 2024/25 LALIGA EA SPORTS trophy, this victory over RC Celta will stand out. After Los Azulgranas threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with the Galician outfit in Vigo earlier this season, this time it was Barça who scored late on to take all three points.
The match started with both sides trading blows, as Ferran Torres scored in the 12th minute and as Borja Iglesias responded in the 15th. It remained 1-1 at half-time, but Borja Iglesias completed a hat-trick with two strikes in the opening moments of the second half, in the 52nd and 62nd minutes.
With under half an hour remaining, FC Barcelona needed a miracle and that’s when Raphinha turned up. The RC Celta lead didn’t last long at all, as the Brazilian took the game by the scruff of the neck, firstly playing a clever assist for Dani Olmo in the 64th minute before heading in an equaliser in the 68th.
As Barça pushed and pushed for the winner, time was running out, but when they won a penalty and when Raphinha stepped up, the forward made no mistake from 12 yards out. He fired past Vicente Guaita for FC Barcelona’s 23rd win of this league season, adding a crucial three points to the team’s tally. Next up is a home game against RCD Mallorca in midweek, before the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, where Raphinha and Flick will aim to lift FC Barcelona’s second trophy of the season.