Barcelona returned to winning ways after their UEFA Champions League defeat to Inter Milan, as they secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Celta Vigo in La Liga.
Pedri’s goal in the 17th minute of the game was enough for the Blaugrana to bag a crucial win that will see them go into this week’s El Clasico as league leaders.
It was far from a convincing display from the team, though, as they failed to kill off the game and could have paid the price as Celta came close to equalising on several occasions.
Speaking after the match, Raphinha, who had a penalty claim denied by the referee in the first half, insisted that there will be matches when the team will suffer but it was important to come out on top at the end.
“You have to know how to suffer to win. There are matches that are like that. The most important thing is that we won,” the Brazilian winger said.
Marcos Alonso also spoke to the media right after the match and echoed Raphinha’s sentiments stating that it was crucial for the team to pick up a win.
“It’s an important victory, but we suffered at the end of the game. The most important thing is the three points,” the Barcelona left-back said.
The former Chelsea ace hailed Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s performance in goal, but insisted that the team must improve defensively, saying: “Ter Stegen is having an amazing season, but I would prefer if he didn’t have to make those saves. We must improve.”
“They had the possession and goalscoring chances in the second half. We have to improve,” Alonso added.
Up next for Barcelona is the UEFA Champions League clash against Inter Milan at Spotify Camp Nou, a must-win encounter to keep their hopes of progressing to the next round alive.
Looking forward to the game, Alonso said: “The Inter match is important and we are betting everything on it. We’ve to now rest and prepare well for that game.”
Source: BarçaTV+
