It was a disappointing night for Barca, whose fans turned out in a near-sold-out stadium to see their new team starring Polish forward Lewandowski, the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year winner, and winger of Brazil, Rafinha. Barcelona dominated the match with nearly 70 percent possession and 18 goal attempts to Rayo’s two. But the two best chances fell to the visitors, Alvaro Garcia was denied by a superb save from Marc Andre ter Stegen and Sergio Camello shot wide. Rayo’s five-man defense did a great job of containing Lewandowski, who barely touched the ball all game. Most of Barca’s chances in the first half came from wingers Rafinha and Dembele, who linked up well and gave the team an attacking threat. Image: Lewandowski, right, passes Rayo’s Florian Lejeune Barca manager Xavi Hernandez tried to break the deadlock by sending strikers Ansu Fati and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang off the bench, but Rayo showed real grit to hold on for the draw. As the upset was building for Barca, captain Sergio Busquets lost his temper and elbowed Falcao Garcia in the face in stoppage time. Goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievsky kept a third clean sheet in a row against Barcelona after Rayo won both games against the Spanish giants last season. He made a couple of crucial stops in the second half, one from a long-range Busquets shot and another from a Rafinha flick. “We tried as much as we could, but we lacked goal and efficiency. Maybe the pressure and the expectation got under our skin a bit,” Xavi told DAZN. “It will be a process, Rayo knew how to defend deep and keep their strategy with great discipline. “We have to be patient and keep working. Better days will come.”
