Dani Olmo celebrated a "dream debut" on his return to Barcelona as he scored the winning goal in Tuesday's 2-1 comeback win against Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga. The 26-year-old missed Barça's first two games of the season as the Catalan side were unable to register him because they remained in excess of their league-imposed spending limit, but his signing was finally processed this week and he made an instant impact in Vallecas.
The Spain international came off the bench at half-time and struck the decisive goal in the 82nd minute as Barça made it three wins from three to start of the season after Pedri had earlier cancelled out Unai López's ninth minute opener.
"I am really happy, really happy with the game and with the win," Olmo told ESPN. "It was a dream debut for me."
Olmo had been made to wait to make his competitive debut after signing in a €55 million deal from RB Leipzig earlier this summer following his exploits for Spain as La Roja won the European Championship. However, the versatile forward, who came through Barça's academy before leaving for Dinamo Zagreb as a 16-year-old, said he always trusted the club would resolve the financial problems holding up his registration.
"It was a dream, of course, to come back," Olmo added. "I had no doubt when Barcelona knocked on my door. So I'm really happy to be here.
"I was confident the club [would sort out the registration]. I was ready, physically preparing for when I had the chance to start playing. Today I could make it, so I'm really, really happy how it went, how it finished and how it was really important for the team."
Barça coach Hansi Flick was also delighted with Olmo's performance after bringing him on for Ferran Torres at the break with his side trailing 1-0.
"He was waiting a long time to score a goal for Barça," Flick said in a news conference. "When he came on you saw we had more control with the ball. It was really good.
"For him, he brings that, the ball possession is really safe and also in front of the goal he knows how to score goals. For a midfield player it's not normal, but he's really good in this.
"I think the start of the second half was good for us and was the reason he was on the pitch. He's doing great, also without the ball, we are nearer the ball and pressing the opponent very good. He made the difference in the second half."
Olmo's winning goal ensured Barça became the only team in LaLiga to start the season with three straight wins -- a feat they have not achieved since the 2018-19 campaign under Ernesto Valverde.
Flick, though, is not getting carried away after wins against Valencia, Athletic Club and Rayo, insisting his thoughts are firmly fixed on the weekend's game at home Real Valladolid.
"Now we have nine points end everything is good, but it's not like this," Flick said. "We will analyse [the game] and on Saturday we have our next match and we have to play much better than in the first half.
"We defended good, but not perfect in the first half. At half-time I said to the team with 80% it's not possible to win here in this atmosphere with Rayo playing well, many long balls with fast players. It's not easy to defend this. We have to put more pressure on the ball and we did better in the second half."
Barça's win was tainted by a late injury to Marc Bernal, with sources telling ESPN the club fear the 17-year-old has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that could rule him out for the majority of the campaign.
"It's a sad victory because Marc is injured and it looks not so good," Flick said. "We have to wait until tomorrow to see how heavy it is. When you see the dressing room nobody is happy. He made a fantastic match -- 17-years-old and such a performance. It hurts."
Olmo's Debut: A Dream Come True
Dani Olmo could not have dreamed of a better start to his life as a senior player in his boyhood club as Barcelona’s new signing came off the bench to score the winner as the Blaugrana beat Rayo Vallecano on the road for the first time since 2018 to extend their perfect start to the new La Liga season to three games.
Olmo had to wait a while to make his debut as Barça struggled to register his contract, but once his status was finally approved by La Liga the Spanish midfielder showed why the club worked so hard to bring him back home.
Speaking after the game Olmo discussed his feelings after the match, and clearly could not have been happier about how things went and the way his goal came about. He also made it clear he’s ready to play wherever Hansi Flick decides to use him, and thinks his versatility will be an asset for the team as a whole.
“I felt very good, I was very excited, feeling good physically, ready to play, and very happy to have made my debut and helped the team.
“Wherever the coach puts me I will give my best, tonight he put me as a number 10 behind Robert [Lewandowski] but I can play on both wings and I’ll give my best wherever I am. I’m always trying to create chances. Lamine found me very well, I finished it well and what a goal it was.”
Olmo's Impact: A Turning Point for Barcelona
Barcelona continued their perfect La Liga start with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Rayo Vallecano — after Dani Olmo’s introduction changed the game.
Rayo were able to control Barca in the opening period and the home side went ahead through Unai Lopez’s finish in the ninth minute.
But the balance of play shifted after Olmo’s introduction at the break. Barcelona’s €60million (£50.5m; $66.8m at current rates) summer signing has had to wait for his debut after issues with his registration. When he finally took to the field, he led the comeback.
Pedri scored the equaliser and Robert Lewandowski had a goal disallowed but it was Olmo who, in the 83rd minute of the game, converted a smart low finish inside the box to consolidate Barca’s place at the top of the table. After three matches, they are the only team with nine points.
Olmo was simply exceptional. He revitalised an uninspired Barca, combining in mesmerising fashion with his international team-mates Pedri and Lamine Yamal, before putting the icing on the cake with a late left-footed winner.
Olmo replaced an underwhelming Ferran Torres and played as a No 10, which seems to be the role where new manager Hansi Flick prefers him. With his first touch of the ball, he got into the box and nearly won a penalty. Minutes later, he hit the crossbar with an impressive long-range effort. He touched the ball 39 times, completed 21 passes with 84 per cent accuracy and made two successful dribbles.
If there were any doubts over his signing, this was a debut to put them to bed.
“When he came in, you saw that we had more control with the ball,” Flick said after the match. “His ball possession is really safe and in front of goal he knows how to score. For a midfield player (that) is not normal, but he is very good at this.”
Beyond Olmo: Pedri and Yamal Shine
Pedri completed a quick recovery from injury to feature as a substitute in Barca’s opening La Liga fixture at Valencia (a 2-1 win) and has not looked back since. He started last weekend’s 2-1 home victory over Athletic Bilbao and shone in a way he has not for months. On Tuesday night at Rayo, Flick gave him the reins in midfield, placing him just in front of a positional holding midfielder in Marc Bernal, and again the 21-year-old unleashed his best version.
Pedri controls the timing. He provides the pausa (pause) when Barca’s structure is at risk of breaking. But he has also been very good at reading the moments when he can set foot in the opposition’s box.
Pedri scored Barca’s equaliser, finishing a counter-attack he started when reading perfectly how to launch a pass to Raphinha on the run. He was replaced near the end of the game having taken a knock, but confirmed after the game he was in perfect condition.
There again should be praise for Yamal. Now it’s not just the impact he has in matches, becoming the biggest attacking threat Barcelona have. This season he is also adding numbers into his game. In three matches, he has scored one goal and assisted three times (he provided the pass for Olmo’s winner). His progression is on the right track.
A Bitter Sweet Victory: Bernal's Injury
On a night this promising, 17-year-old midfielder put in another performance to remember, one that confirmed his readiness to take over Barcelona’s holding midfielder role. But an unfortunate tackle in stoppage time tore his dream to pieces.
Marc Bernal suffered a knee injury in the dying minutes of the game. He left the pitch in tears, helped by backroom staff members. Two hours later, he was leaving the stadium on crutches with his left knee fully bandaged.
“Marc’s injury does not look good,” Flick said. “All the dressing room was around him after the final whistle. It hurts a lot, and it is a sad victory for us”.
More tests and scans are expected on Wednesday at the club’s training facilities, but dressing room sources fear this could be a season-ending problem.
There are a few days remaining of the transfer window, but it looks unlikely as of now that Barcelona can try to replace him with a new signing, given their difficulties with registering new players.
“The injury is still very recent to know the situation we have,” Flick said. “But at the end, we have many players that can perform as a holding midfielder. After the break, we hope to recover one or two players from the injury list that can help in that department.”
A Look Ahead: Barcelona's Upcoming Challenges
FC Barcelona have started the 2024-25 season in great fashion. They got another victory against a difficult Rayo Vallecano side last night, after having already won two other quite difficult matches against Valencia and Athletic Club.
Although all of these victories have come with the minimum margins, and the Catalans are yet to keep a clean sheet, winning all these matches puts Barcelona in a very good spot as they intend to go all the way and win La Liga this season.
As Mundo Deportivo has reported, with this win, the Blaugranes are now the sole leaders of La Liga, as Celta Vigo lost their game in this matchday and lost three points. The Catalans currently have 9 points, out of a possible 9, and are followed by Villarreal and Celta with 7 and 6 points respectively.
Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid have yet to play their matches in this matchday 3, but neither of them can catch up with the Catalans even if they get the full three points, as they both currently have only 4 points to their names. The Mattress Makers are set to face Espanyol next, while Ancelotti’s men are going to face Las Palmas.
Up next, Barcelona are set to face Real Valladolid at the Luis Companys stadium at midday on Saturday, 31 August. This will be the team’s last match before the international break and will see the final squad of Barcelona for this season as the summer transfer window will be closed a day before, on Friday.
This international break will come at an opportune moment for the Catalans, as Flick will be awaiting the return of some injured players like Ansu Fati. The La Masia graduate had impressed Flick with his work in the pre-season, but his untimely injury has prevented him from playing in the USA and in the first four matches of the season.
Barcelona: A Perfect Start, but Challenges Ahead
Like against Valencia on the opening day, they did it the hard way. 1-0 down after a somewhat dour first half display, they turned up the heat in the second, with Pedri bagging the equaliser and Dani Olmo getting to cap a wonderful debut by scoring the winning goal.
The only downside to the evening was a potentially nasty knee injury sustained by Marc Bernal towards the end of the game. The exact extent won't be known until a full medical report is made, and we all hope that it's not as bad as it looked on the pitch.
With just one win from the last six meetings, and none at Vallecas in three, Barça have struggled against Rayo in recent years. This game proved to be no exception.
Not only did the home side take the lead after just ten minutes, but in all fairness, deservedly so. After thwarting a series of early attacks, the Barça defence made it far too easy for Jorge de Frutos to deliver a cross from the right and for Unai López to slot it past Ter Stegen.
The Catalan response was a good one, but so were Rayo's attempts to defend their lead. Barça were now getting most of the ball, but other than a great chance for Lamine Yamal that Cardenas did well to save, there wasn't too much to worry Vallecas.
A vast improvement was needed in the second half, and the introduction of debutant Dani Olmo provided just that. The new signing immediately settled into his duties and in no time was rifling the ball onto the crossbar from long range.
A more inspired looking Barça soon found the goal they were looking for. Pedri to Raphinha, Raphniha back to Pedri, and the Canary Islander coolly levelled up the scores.
Robert Lewandowski looked to have scored for the third game in a row to put Barça 2-1 up, but VAR had spotted an earlier infringement by Jules Kounde, and the goal was irritatingly chalked off. The Frenchman did tread on an opponent's toe, but it was still a very brave call by the referee.
No point arguing, the decision was made and we were back to 1-1. Barça were very much the team on top and there was still over a quarter of an hour for justice to be served.
And served it was. First by Lamine Yamal's assist and then by Olmo's smooth finish, slotting the ball perfectly between the opposing keeper and the post.
It had been an impressive debut from the former Leipzig man, so comfortable that it looked like he'd played for Barça for years, and he'd topped off a brilliant night by nabbing the winning goal.
For no matter how hard Rayo tried to fight their way back into this game, it would be to no avail. The perfect start to Hansi Flick's tenure as Barça head coach has continued, and things are looking very, very sweet indeed for Barça fans right now!
Next up is Real Valladolid on Sunday.
