It had been almost 20 years since the last time Rayo Vallecano had beaten Barcelona in a league game, but thanks to Radamel Falcao and a huge penalty miss by Memphis Depay, that run has come to an end today.
The Madrid-based team held on to the lead provided to them by Falcao's goal in heroic fashion, as Los Rayistas stood to defend their goal for over 60 minutes after the counter-attack that gave them the lead. With a clever tactical approach by coach Andoni Iraola, the white-and-red side climbed to the top five in La Liga with a stunning left-footed finish by Falcao, which you will be able to watch here (Image might be geo-restricted).
Radamel Falcao scoring against Barcelona, it had to be him!
— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 27, 2021
( @ESPNFC) pic.twitter.com/xM0Uxsi3mV
It seemed that Rayo were set to give in during the final minutes of the game, but Memphis Depay's inability to turn a penalty kick into a goal gave Los Rayistas three points. The decision to give Barcelona a spot kick was quite controversial, and some may think that Depay's miss could be labeled as poetic justice. Have a look at his PK miss over here (Image might be geo-restricted).
The keeper saves Depay's penalty pic.twitter.com/Y7TIMJLzgX
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 27, 2021
With this loss, Barcelona's downward spiral continues, and with everything that has been going on under consideration, it would be a miracle to see Koeman survive the next couple of weeks as their coach.