Atletico Madrid briefly claimed the top spot in La Liga earlier in the day, but their reign lasted only a few hours. Barcelona ensured there was no change at the top of the table, conquering the Canary Islands with a 2-0 victory over Las Palmas in the 25th round, thanks to goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo.🌴 FULL TIME! 🌴#LasPalmasBarça pic.twitter.com/8T0adstPLU— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 22, 2025 Olmo had gone four months without scoring in La Liga, but tonight, as he has so often in his career, he showcased his brilliance in tight spaces. His comfort zone is the crowded penalty area—just when it seems there’s no way out, he elegantly slips through, dribbles past defenders, and finds the net.While tonight’s goal wasn’t quite on the level of his masterpiece in the 2023 Super Cup, when he dismantled Bayern’s defense as a Leipzig player, it was more than enough to secure Barcelona’s fifth consecutive league win and put the pressure on Real Madrid, who host Girona tomorrow.🚨🇪🇸 GOAL | Las Palmas 0-1 Barcelona | Dani OlmoWHAT A GOAL FROM DANI OLMO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/1z4qE3gCmy— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) February 22, 2025 Olmo ended his 11-game goal drought with an assist from La Liga’s leading playmaker. Even before tonight, Lamine Yamal was the only player in Spain’s top flight with double-digit assists, and he extended his tally to 11. His closest competitor, Inaki Williams, has seven.Since Yamal’s debut on April 29, 2023, Villarreal’s Alex Baena leads La Liga with 21 assists, followed by Barcelona’s teenage sensation with 18, Raphinha with 17, Antoine Griezmann with 16, and Inaki Williams with 15.Olmo didn’t start the match but came on at halftime and, within 15 minutes, demonstrated his ability to instantly change the game’s dynamics. Barcelona struggled in the first half, failing to create clear-cut chances, but Hansi Flick’s substitutes paved the way to victory in the second half. The Catalans sealed the win in the fifth minute of stoppage time through another substitute, Ferran Torres, though Las Palmas was never truly close to causing an upset.🚨🇪🇸 GOAL | Las Palmas 0-2 Barcelona | Ferran TorresWHAT A FINISH FROM FERRAN TORRES !!!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/3CCVtGASO2— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) February 22, 2025 The most nerve-wracking moment for Barcelona came about ten minutes before the final whistle when VAR reviewed a potential handball in their penalty area. The entire Las Palmas team protested after Eric Garcia blocked a shot with his arm, but two key facts were overlooked: the Las Palmas player who crossed the ball was initially offside, and before Garcia’s block, Alex Suarez had controlled the ball with his hand. Tensions ran high, especially when referee Cordero went to review the footage, but he quickly confirmed there was no penalty.🚨- Offside image released by VAR.Las Palmas 0️⃣-1️⃣ Barcelona#LasPalmasBarça | #FCB | #LaLiga pic.twitter.com/DgJ14qwtVC— FTBL Mania (@TheFTBLMania) February 22, 2025 Barcelona wrapped up another crucial victory ahead of a demanding end to February and the start of March. In just three days, they face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. On March 2, they host Real Sociedad, followed by a trip to Benfica’s Estadio da Luz three days later for the Champions League Round of 16.🙌 IT’S MATCHDAY! 🙌🆚 @GironaFC_Engl 🕰 16:15 CET🏟️ Santiago Bernabéu👉 @HP pic.twitter.com/EbUEz5ddY2— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 23, 2025 Real Madrid has the opportunity to join Barcelona on points today as they host Girona at the Santiago Bernabéu (18:15).LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 25Friday Celta – Osasuna 1-0 (0-0)/Aspas 69 pen/SaturdayAlaves – Espanyol 0-1 (0-0)/Calero 86/Rayo Vallecano – Villarreal 0-1 (0-0)/Perez 66/Valencia – Atl. Madrid 0-3 (0-2)/Alvarez 12, 30, Correa 86/Las Palmas – Barcelona 0-2 (0-0)/Olmo 65, Torres 90+5/Sunday16.00: (1.17) Ath.Bilbao (8.50) Valladolid (19.0)18.15: (1.28) Real Madrid (5.90) Girona (9.50)20.30: (2.65) Getafe (3.10) Betis (3.10)23.00: (1.57) Sociedad (3.50) Leganes (7.50)Monday23.00: (2.15) Sevilla (3.15) Mallorca (3.70)***odds are subject to change***
