Dembele's late strike helps Barcelona beat Valladolid 1-0: Records broken
A late strike by Ousmane Dembele helped Barcelona beat Real Valladolid 1-0 in La Liga on Monday. The hosts struggled to create chances of scoring in the first half, however, they claimed the winner just in time. With this, Barca are only one point behind table-toppers Atletico Madrid in the latest La Liga standings. Here are the records broken.
How did the match pan out?
Valladolid did well to restrict Barca in the first half. The hosts were denied a goal shortly before the break when goal-keeper Jordi Masip stopped a shot from Pedri. In the second half, Valladolid's Oscar Plano was sent off, which gave Barca an edge. As a result, Dembele (90') pounced on a chance, handing the winner to the hosts.
Barca extend their winning streak in La Liga
The victory against Valladolid extended Barcelona's winning streak in La Liga. Barca are now unbeaten in their last 19 La Liga games since a 1-2 defeat to Cadiz in December 2020. This is the longest current unbeaten run of any side in the top five European leagues. Since the defeat to Cadiz, Barca have won 16 and drawn three games.
Barcelona have been unlucky this season
As per Opta, Barcelona have now hit the woodwork 29 times in all competitions this season, more than any other top five European League side. Other sides on the list are Real Madrid (28), FC Bayern Munich (26), Manchester City (25) and PSG (25).
A look at the other feats
Dembele has scored the first 1-0 winning-goal in the 90th minute for Barcelona at home in La Liga this century. This is the first such goal since Sergio Busquets at Mestalla in November 2014. Notably, Frenkie de Jong successfully completed all his passes against Valladolid at the half-time (52 of 52; 30 of them in the opposite half, including an assist).
