Barcelona came from behind to defeat newly promoted Real Oviedo 3-1 at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere on Thursday night, , in what was their first LaLiga meeting in 24 years. Softfootball reported that beating Oviedo was going to be a tricky task for the Catalans even though they were favourites, and they suffered an unexpected shock in the first half.
The Catalan giants, who will be without Gavi for a lengthy spell despite the midfielder’s best efforts to cheer the fans, were made to work harder than many expected, especially after a shocking mistake by goalkeeper Joan García gifted the home side a dream lead. In the 33rd minute, his misplaced pass was pounced on by Alberto Reina, who launched an outrageous effort from inside the halfway line that sailed into the net. It was just Oviedo’s second goal of the season but one that had the entire stadium rocking.
Before that, Barça had threatened through Marcus Rashford, whose volley and later a curling shot forced big saves out of Aarón Escandell. Raphinha even struck the post, with Ronald Araújo seeing his rebound pushed away. Despite their possession dominance, Barça’s passing was strangely untidy, and Oviedo’s energy unsettled them.
The second half saw a different rhythm. Oviedo started brightly again, with Haissem Hassan nearly extending their lead, but García redeemed himself with a fine stop. Just a minute later, a scrappy sequence ended with Eric García turning home from close range to restore parity.
That goal lifted the visitors, and eventually, the pressure told. Substitute Robert Lewandowski rose highest in the 70th minute to head home a brilliant goal, his presence finally breaking Oviedo’s resistance. The hosts tried to respond but gaps opened up, and Barça began to control the tempo once more.
With time running out, Ronald Araújo put the game to bed in the 88th minute with a towering header. It was no less than Barça deserved, but Oviedo earned credit for pushing them hard in their first LaLiga season back since 2001.
It was a game of resilience, as portrayed in the final whistle reaction video posted on Barcelona’s official X account.
Watch the video below:
The win keeps Barcelona unbeaten and moves them up to second in the table, while Oviedo remain bottom with five defeats from six.
