Champions Barcelona Drop Points at Rayo with VAR Offline

Rayo Vallecano battled back to claim a draw against Barcelona, who dropped their first points of the La Liga season in a match overshadowed by malfunctioning VAR technology, Sport360NG reports.

Barcelona went in front five minutes before the interval when 16-year-old Lamine Yamal converted a penalty he had won himself after being fouled by Pep Chavarría. The spot-kick, however, sparked controversy as the video assistant referee was out of service at the time, leaving the decision unchecked.

Marcus Rashford featured again for the Catalan side, coming off the bench for Raphinha in the 62nd minute. The on-loan Manchester United forward had been withdrawn at half-time during the comeback win over Levante a week earlier, and while he struggled to impose himself in Madrid, he did deliver a dangerous corner that Eric García headed over.

Rayo struck back midway through the second half when substitute Fran Pérez produced a superb volley following a corner. Jorge de Frutos nearly put the home side ahead soon after, only to be denied by goalkeeper Joan García, who later made another crucial save from Sergio Camello.

The hosts also had a goal chalked off for offside, while Barcelona were unable to find a late winner on a difficult pitch and in a hostile atmosphere.

The draw leaves the defending champions with seven points from three matches, placing them fourth in the table. Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao lead the standings with maximum points from their opening three games.

VAR Breakdown

Spanish football analyst Guillem Balagué explained on Premier Sports that the referee had warned both managers before kick-off about problems with the VAR feed, which was not transmitting to the stadium.

“The referee informed the captains and coaches that VAR pictures weren’t available,” said Balagué. “They briefly came back around the 11th minute but were lost again soon after. By the time of the penalty, there was no possibility to review it.”

Despite Rayo’s frustration, Balagué added that the referee appeared to have judged the incident correctly on the pitch.