Barcelona moved to the top of the La Liga table, at least temporarily, after Dani Olmo inspired a 3-1 comeback victory over Alaves on Saturday at their partially reopened Camp Nou.
Pablo Ibanez shocked the home crowd by giving Alaves the lead inside the first minute, capitalizing on a failed clearance from Marc Casado before Victor Parada directed the ball back into danger.
Barcelona responded swiftly. Lamine Yamal levelled the score with a fierce strike into the roof of the net after Raphinha — making his first start since injury — delivered a low cross that Dani Olmo initially failed to connect with.
Olmo made amends shortly after, drilling home at the near post from another Raphinha cut-back to put Barça ahead midway through the first half.
Goalkeeper Joan Garcia kept Barcelona in control with a brilliant save to stop Calebe, while Yamal came close to adding another but hit the upright after rounding Antonio Sivera. At the other end, Lucas Boye flashed a warning shot just wide before the break.
The second half saw the return of midfield maestro Pedri Gonzalez, welcomed back by the 45,000 fans in the three open stands of the Camp Nou. Yamal and Olmo both came close again, but Barcelona struggled to kill off the game as Alaves pushed for an equaliser.
Their best chance fell to Boye, whose attempt was heroically blocked by defender Pau Cubarsi.
Barça finally sealed the victory in stoppage time when Yamal, electric all evening, set up Olmo for his second of the night to secure the crucial three points.
The win comes just days after a bruising 3-0 Champions League defeat to Chelsea, toning down the club’s 126th anniversary celebrations and forcing Hansi Flick’s side to dig deep despite absences including Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong.
With the victory, Barcelona’s renewed Camp Nou home continues to bring good fortune — and their title ambitions gain further momentum.
