Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano highlights
Barcelona were held to a disappointing goalless draw by Rayo Vallecano as a summer of uncertainty off the pitch spilled over into their LaLiga opener at Camp Nou on Saturday.
Barca's frustration was amplified in stoppage time when Sergio Busquets was shown a second yellow card for what deemed an elbow to the face of Rayo striker Falcao.
Barcelona began with three of their summer signings -- Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Andreas Christensen -- in the starting lineup after they were finally able to be registered with LaLiga on Friday night. But Xavi Hernandez's side, seeking to win the Spanish title for the first time since 2019, could not find their way through an impressive performance from last season's 12th-placed team.
"I understand the disappointment, expectations are really high," Xavi said. "We will have to analyse the game, improve and keep believing in the model of play. Rayo defended well. It was harder for us to create [chances] than usual. It's a shame because we wanted to show the fans that we're on a good path. It's disappointing, but we ask for patience."
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