A little bit of magic and a little bit of suffering to keep leaders

BarcelonaIt's time to fasten your seatbelt, because the end of the season will be one to remember. Barça defended the first position they had won just a week ago with a hard-fought victory at Las Palmas, a team that has recently specialised in kicking the blaugranas. As had happened against Alavés, they had to win without pleasing. In fact, the game was even uglier, until Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo said enough after a grey, dark, desperate hour. Between them, they shed light on the game, lighting the way for a Barça that will be able to continue turning its head to see its opponents behind it, after having sentenced the game thanks to a goal from Ferran towards the end of the match.

It wasn't easy, no. As if it were one of those children's comics in which the superhero is shown the kryptonite that takes away his magic, Barça was too predictable for an hour, in which they lost a lot of balls. But Flick had made a good diagnosis by handing over control of the match to Olmo, who was in charge of changing everything with a goal of great value. One of those that decide titles, perhaps. It will not be suitable for the faint of heart, this end of season. Some want to celebrate the title in Canaletes, others in Cibeles dressed in white and a third in the Neptune fountain in Madrid. Three teams with three styles fighting for the same prize. When Flick finished giving the orders to his players he already knew that Atlético had not failed in Valencia's field. If when landing in Las Palmas Barça was the leader, when going out onto the field they were no longer. They could not fail, in that Russian roulette that the League championship has become.

And it's never easy, playing in Gran Canaria. A large and somewhat strange stadium, an opponent who sticks like a tick and a fairly long trip. The Canaries had already surprised at the Montjuïc stadium and, for a good part of the match, they were undermining the morale of a Barça that was unable to feel comfortable. Hansi Flick had opted for Eric Garcia and Cubarsi as centre-backs to ensure good ball movement and try to control McBurnie, the Leeds striker as tall as a Saint Paul who looks like a British tourist spending a few days in Gran Canaria trying not to get sunstroke. And McBurnie added the blows that he gave. Opposite, Fermín and Casadó returned to the starting line-up, but they ended up trapped in the web of the local team. Barça could not get rid of a physical and trying opponent, the kind that follows you everywhere, leaving no space. Raphinha was a shadow, Lewandowski never touched the ball and Lamine Yamal lived surrounded by people dressed in yellow. That's the life of the great stars, having more than one player watching you.

Every loss of the ball allowed Las Palmas to run away with a certain success. Moleiro, who continues the great school of talented Canarian players that Valerón, Silva, Pedro and Pedri have all been part of, did his thing on Kounde's wing. But there were few clear chances, apart from a shot that Szczesny was unable to catch at the start of the match. The Barcelona fans had a scare, but not the Pole. He is the calmest man in the world, whether he hits or misses.

Flick was getting nervous seeing how Barça couldn't find a way out of the local labyrinth. The Blaugranas were going around in circles, trying to find a way to the goal defended by an old acquaintance, Cillessen. Playing against Las Palmas is like an old-boys' meeting, where faces that were teammates and you had half forgotten, like the Dutch goalkeeper, Sandro or Mika Mármol, keep appearing. But they do remember you. And they want to bring you down to earth. The Canaries were humanising a Barça that seemed too mediocre at half-time, without being able to move around a Pedri who was not having a good day on the day he returned to what had been his home. When the players went to the locker room, everyone knew that Dani Olmo would be on the pitch in the second half. His ability to get into the area was needed, to provide an assist and to put some order. The one who was sacrificed was Fermín.

And Barça improved, with the change. Dani Olmo knows how to move very well in the middle of the pitch, up and down, without paying a toll. After giving two warnings, in the 60th minute he gave the ball to Lamine Yamal, with whom he understood with a look. Once Maresme received it, Olmo attacked the heart of the rival area, where he received the ball back, gave two hip kicks and sent the ball into the top corner. In a dull match, a moment of light. The quality of two youngsters trained at La Masia but who have followed different paths appeared to break the heart of a rival that was becoming smaller and smaller. Barça would try to score the second, on a day in which Lewandowski did little to avoid scares. He did not manage it, so he had to finish the match defending crosses, long shots and getting a scare when Eric's handball was a penalty, but luckily there was an offside before. In the end, Catalan revenge came from the first leg with Ferran's goal in the last seconds of the match. Revenge and leadership. A good haul in a weak match. One of those games where you can lose a title, if you slip up. That wasn't the case.