Barcelona coach Hansi Flick admitted his side did not deserve more than a point after they were held to a 1–1 draw against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in LaLiga, with new goalkeeper Joan García producing a string of brilliant saves to prevent defeat.
Yamal Strikes, Pérez Responds
At the Estadio de Vallecas, Lamine Yamal gave Barça the lead midway through the first half, calmly converting from the penalty spot after being fouled by Pep Chavarría. However, controversy surrounded the incident as VAR was not functioning properly, meaning the decision could not be reviewed.
Rayo fought back after the break and were rewarded when summer signing Fran Pérez drilled home at the far post from a corner, levelling the score and ending Barcelona’s perfect start to the campaign.
Flick Critical of His Side
Flick made no attempt to hide his frustration with his team’s performance.
“We didn’t deserve more than one point,” he told reporters. “At the end, we had a fantastic goalkeeper today because we made too many mistakes. Too many errors, and this is why Rayo came back. It’s not a good game for us. We have to play much better.”
García the Standout Performer
The standout on the night was Joan García, who joined from Espanyol in July for €25 million. The 23-year-old made six saves, including outstanding stops from Andrei Rațiu and Jorge de Frutos, earning him the MVP award.
Flick praised his keeper afterwards:
“Joan made a fantastic match for us today and saved this one point. He has confidence with the ball and between the posts. I think it was the right decision to sign him.”
Pressure Mounts Early
The draw leaves Barcelona two points behind early leaders Real Madrid and Athletic Club. Despite remaining unbeaten, midfielder Frenkie de Jong was also critical:
“We have to play a lot better than we have today. We lacked control and precision. We have to win every game, so it’s not a good start to the season.”
Focus on Unity
With the transfer window set to close on Monday, Flick urged his players to put aside individual distractions:
“No egos, because egos kill success. Last season we played as a team, as one unit, and we have to go back to this.”
Barcelona’s next matches will come after the international break, when they hope both performance and results can improve.