Barcelona kept their winning run going after a nervy 1-0 win over Celta de Vigo. The club appeared to be in danger of losing their four-point advantage over Real Madrid as result of their shaky performance against the opponents away from the Camp Nou. After the match, defender Jeremy Mathieu, who recently scored the first goal for the club in the win over Real Madrid, said that this victory proves that even the best teams are not immune from the rigours of international break. Barcelona lost a number of players during the midweek international break and it is reported that Luis Enrique was not happy with the condition of some ahead of the match.
The fears of the manager were confirmed after Barcelona struggled to provide any superiority over the course of the match. The club would have dropped points had it not been for Jeremy Mathieu coming up with yet another goal in the second half. Things were made easy towards the end after Orellana was sent off in the 87th minute following a straight red card. Barcelona take on Almeria in the next week and they return to home comfort at the Camp Nou. Barcelona have won all their matches since the 1-0 defeat against Malaga.
“Celta played well for the whole 90 minutes, but there are games that are won on little details. It was a tough game. Paying after international matches is more difficult because the dynamics of the team are a bit off.In the first half we suffered a lot. We are Barca, but we also suffer.However, the most important thing is getting the three points. Playing with Pique is very simple. He is outstanding – it is amazing to play with him,” said Mathieu, who now has two league goals in 21 appearances since his summer move.