Barcelona Go Top of La Liga as Dani Olmo Brace Secures 3–1 Comeback Win Over Alaves

Dani Olmo scored twice to guide Barcelona to a 3–1 victory over Alaves on Saturday, a result that temporarily lifts the Catalan side to the top of La Liga.

Alaves stunned the Camp Nou crowd just seconds into the match when Pablo Ibanez converted after Marc Casado failed to clear a corner, with Victor Parada redirecting the ball back into the danger area.

Barcelona quickly replied. Raphinha, returning from injury and starting for the first time under coach Hansi Flick, squared a low pass into the box that Lamine Yamal blasted into the roof of the net after Olmo missed his attempt to connect.

Olmo put Barcelona ahead midway through the first half, drilling a shot inside the near post after another cut-back from Raphinha. Before that, goalkeeper Joan Garcia had made a crucial save to stop Calebe from restoring the visitors’ lead.

The match marked Barcelona’s second outing at their partially rebuilt Camp Nou, following last week’s 4–0 win over Athletic Bilbao. This game, however, proved more demanding. Barça were still dealing with injury absences, including Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong, and Jules Kounde started on the bench after scoring an own goal during the midweek Champions League defeat to Chelsea.

Teenager Yamal nearly added another when he rounded Antonio Sivera but hit the post from a tight angle. Moments later, Lucas Boye came close to equalising for Alaves, sending a shot just wide before halftime.

In the second half, Pedri Gonzalez made his return from injury to loud applause from the 45,000 fans in the three open stands. Yamal curled just wide from outside the box, and Olmo saw another effort drift past the post as Barcelona struggled to close out the game.

Alaves continued to threaten, with Boye once again nearly finding a leveller, but Pau Cubarsi produced a vital block to keep Barcelona ahead.

Deep into stoppage time, Barcelona finally sealed the win. Yamal’s persistence paid off as he set up Olmo, who calmly finished past Sivera to secure his brace and Barcelona’s third goal.

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