Overview

• Lamine Yamal put Barcelona ahead from the spot in the first half after Mateo Busquets Ferrer awarded a penalty that Rayo protested as the VAR system was reported offline.
• Fran Pérez leveled for Rayo in the second half to seal a 1-1 draw on a night repeatedly criticized for the state of the turf.
• Joan García delivered several crucial saves across both halves, preserving Barcelona’s point and their unbeaten start.
• Hansi Flick rotated his XI, leaving Robert Lewandowski and Pau Cubarsí on the bench while starting Eric García and Andreas Christensen, yet defensive lapses persisted.
• Elsewhere in LaLiga, Celta drew 1-1 with Villarreal thanks to Borja Iglesias in stoppage time, Athletic beat Betis 2-1 to reach nine points, and Córdoba earned their first point with a 0-0 at Valladolid.