Barcelona’s Gritty Win Over Leganés: A Step Closer to LaLiga Glory
In the world of football, there are moments that transcend the ordinary, and Hansi Flick’s reaction to Iñigo Martínez’s last-gasp tackle was one such moment. It was as if Barcelona had scored a goal, such was the intensity of the celebration. This crucial intervention helped Barça secure a hard-fought 1-0 win against Leganés on Saturday, bringing them a step closer to the coveted LaLiga title.
The match was a nail-biter, with Martínez’s challenge on the edge of the box preventing Munir El Haddadi from equalizing in the 92nd minute. Earlier, an own goal by Jorge Sáenz had given Barça the lead at Butarque.
With this victory, Barça extended their unbeaten run to 24 games across all competitions. They temporarily moved seven points clear of Real Madrid, who are set to play Alavés on Sunday.
In the post-game news conference, Barça coach Flick couldn’t hide his delight. “For me, the best situation [was] not only the goal, but the last save from Iñigo was unbelievable,” he said. “I celebrated it like a goal. Everyone celebrated it as a goal. It’s part of the game and, again, another clean sheet. It’s the perfect match here.”
Despite the win, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Barça. They were far from their best against Leganés, who nearly took the lead early on when Adrià Altimira forced a smart save from Wojciech Szczęsny.
The only goal of the game came early in the second half, when Sáenz inadvertently turned home a cross from Raphinha. Leganés pushed hard for an equalizer late on, but Barça’s resilience shone through, much to Flick’s satisfaction.
“Today, how we fight for 94, 95 minutes, it was unbelievable,” the German coach added. “When you see the load the players have in the last couple of weeks, after the international break … what they did [in those games], the performances, it’s unbelievable.”
However, the victory was bittersweet as Barça lost left-back Alejandro Balde to injury in the first half. Flick mentioned that the Spain defender would undergo tests on Sunday to assess the severity of the injury.
Looking ahead, Barça have a busy schedule. They return to action on Tuesday in the Champions League, facing Borussia Dortmund away, carrying a 4-0 lead from the first leg of the quarterfinal tie. Following that, they have back-to-back home games in LaLiga against Celta Vigo and Mallorca, before a highly anticipated showdown with Madrid in the final of the Copa del Rey on April 26 in Seville.
- Barça’s unbeaten run: 24 games
- Upcoming matches: Borussia Dortmund, Celta Vigo, Mallorca, Copa del Rey final
- Key player: Iñigo Martínez
Flick emphasized the importance of recovery in the coming days. “Now, we focus on recovery,” he said. “I think the word I use most is recovery, recovery, recovery. We will arrive back in the night in Barcelona, then [on Sunday] we recover and train with the other guys who didn’t have so many minutes. And on Monday we fly to Dortmund. It’s like that. We have no excuses. We focus on our job. The team is fantastic again, absolutely fantastic.”
Originally Written by: Sam Marsden,Moises Llorens
