La Liga leaders Barcelona’s celebratory mood was dampened on Saturday as they suffered a surprising 2-1 defeat at home to Las Palmas, marking their first loss to the visitors at Camp Nou since 1971.
Former Barcelona forward Sandro Ramírez opened the scoring for Las Palmas, slotting a low strike past boos from the home crowd. Captain Raphinha briefly restored hope for Barca with a stunning equalizer, a fierce low drive into the net. However, Wolves loanee Fábio Silva delivered the decisive blow, calmly finishing Javi Muñoz’s exquisite through ball to seal the win for the struggling side.
The result saw Las Palmas climb to 14th in La Liga, while Barcelona’s lead at the top of the table could shrink to just one point if Real Madrid overcome Getafe on Sunday.
Barcelona, who marked their 125th anniversary with celebrations on Friday, debuted a new mascot, but the festivities failed to inspire them on the pitch. Hansi Flick’s team registered a season-high 26 shots but struggled to convert chances. Key moments included a brilliant save by Jasper Cillessen to deny Raphinha’s free-kick and near-misses from Ferran Torres and Pablo Torre.
Adding to Barcelona’s woes, left-back Alejandro Balde was stretchered off in the first half following a collision with Sandro, raising concerns about his fitness.
With this defeat, Barcelona remain winless in three consecutive league matches, leaving fans anxious about the club’s form as the title race heats up.
