Winning the League and relaxing in defense has been all one for Barcelona, which in the Nuevo Zorrilla added its second consecutive defeat after the one suffered against Real Sociedad at the Camp Nou last Saturday. Valladolid, driven by the need to avoid relegation, lived its own particular party. After 20 minutes they were already leading 2-0 and finished with a conclusive 3-1 victory, something that not even the most optimistic of Ronaldo's team could imagine in their wildest dreams.
Without Araujo or Koundé, the Barcelona defense condemned their starting team. The game couldn't start worse for the Catalans, who were already down after a minute and a half of play when a cross from Venezuelan Machís was headed towards his goal by Christensen, who was already coming off a very bad game against Real. The headbutt left Ter Stegen unanswered and the Pucelana fans went in an instant from the anger of displaying black bags (they had been distributed at the entrance) as a protest against the Federation for the arbitrations to believing in the miracle.
Conceding such an early goal led Barcelona to go forward with rage. His media line crossed the center of the field and the game began to haunt the surroundings of Masip due to the push from Gavi and De Jong. Raphinha had the first chance, but his left foot went to the dummy and Valladolid breathed. Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano's team, which had gone five straight defeats, had seven changes compared to the last game and with a 4-3-3, in which Óscar Plano, Roque Mesa and Aguado reappeared, they felt very comfortable to counterattack. What little he could suspect is that in another of his first appearances again for the visiting area he would hit the target again. The goal came in the 20th minute after a bad start by Ter Stegen that ended in a demolition of Gonzalo Plata by Eric García inside the area. Eric García did not have his day either and he did not play central. The maximum sentence was executed by the Canadian Cyle Larin.
With the 2-0 draw, Barça plunged into an open grave over Masip's portal, who became the hero of his team until the break. The Catalans generated a lot of play up front, but they seemed jinxed at the auction. Raphinha was the one who tried it the most times, most of them assisted by youth player Pablo Torre, a starter on a bad day to show his skills. Lewandowski, Eric García and Sergi Roberto also had their chances.
The second part started with surprise. Iñaki Peña replaced Ter Stegen in goal and Kessié came on for Sergi Roberto. Xavi thus protected Zamora from the German goalkeeper.
The game kept the same line with Barcelona dominating the ball, but this time during the first quarter of an hour with hardly any chances. Valladolid, in fact, seemed more threatening when they crossed the midfield line and at the hour of play they almost made it 3-0 in a sudden counterattack that ended in a cross from Ecuadorian Gonzalo Plata that Larin missed.
Xavi then chose to change Lewandowski's companions up front. Dembelé and Ferran Torres came on for Raphinha and Pablo Torre in search of more depth at the ends. When he left the pitch when he was substituted, Raphinha left the image of the match: he took off his Barca jacket and displayed a message of support for Vinícius on the shirt below him. On the back it said TMJ. In Portuguese "we are together".
Barça's changes had no effect. His dominance was extinguished very soon because Valladolid found his third goal in a manual counter and a shot from Gonzalo Plata. The VAR validated it by verifying that Eric García broke the offside. Xavi's team was knocked out. Fresneda had a new counter to make it 4-0, but sent the shot to the post, with Iñaki Peña beaten. Already in 83 Lewandowski was finally right to alleviate the damage with the goal in a game to forget about the Catalans.
