Las Palmas shock Barcelona on anniversary weekend

Las Palmas pulled off a stunning 2-1 victory over league leaders Barcelona on Saturday, dampening the Catalan club’s 125th-anniversary celebrations at the Olympic Stadium.

Sandro Ramirez opened the scoring early in the second half for the visitors, and although Raphinha quickly equalized with a spectacular strike, Fabio Silva’s fifth goal in eight matches secured all three points. The result lifted Las Palmas to 14th in La Liga, five points clear of the relegation zone.

Barcelona remain atop the standings, four points ahead of Real Madrid, who have two games in hand. However, Hansi Flick’s side has now gone three matches without a win, marking a sharp contrast to their earlier dominant form of 11 victories in 12 matches.

“We had a bad game,” Raphinha admitted to Movistar. “We need to analyze what’s going wrong and improve to start winning again. I’m not happy with my goal because it’s the result that matters, and today we didn’t get it.”

Teenager Lamine Yamal returned from injury but couldn’t find a way past former Barcelona goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, who made several key saves, including one in stoppage time to deny Robert Lewandowski.

Las Palmas, rejuvenated under Diego Martinez, secured their first win at Barcelona since 1971, underscoring their dramatic turnaround under the new coach. “Everyone is giving their all, and that’s the key,” midfielder Alberto Moleiro said.

(Source: AFP)