BARCELONA, Spain: Xavi Hernández had plenty to like and much more to lament about Barcelona’s wild 3-3 draw at Celta Vigo on Saturday, when his soon-to-be team squandered a three-goal halftime lead.
Playing its final match under caretaker coach Sergi Barjuan before Xavi takes over as its new full-time manager, Barcelona roared out to a 3-0 lead after playing one of its best halves of the season. But injuries to Ansu Fati and Nico González, who were having inspired performances, and the resurgence of its defensive doubts helped Iago Aspas led Celta back with his second-half brace.
Aspas capped the comeback with a second goal on one of the final kicks of the match when he scored from long range while Barcelona was hunkered down in its box begging for the final whistle.
“We forgot we had to play the second half,” said a dejected Frenkie de Jong, who provided Barcelona’s only spark in the second half with a shot that hit the crossbar with the score at 3-2.
“We were too static, we need to show more character. This game was important to move up a bit in the table. It is a very hard blow.”
Barcelona remained in ninth place in the Spanish league and with its horizon of success narrowing to simply securing a top-four finish to ensure its spot in the Champions League.
The draw came hours after Barcelona announced that Xavi had agreed to sign through 2024. That will free Barjuan to return to coaching its reserve team after three games in charge following the firing of Ronald Koeman.
Xavi will be presented on Monday and then have a two-week international break to settle in before the former Barcelona midfield star debuts on Nov. 20 against Espanyol in a derby. He arrived to Barcelona earlier on Saturday after ending his stint at Qatari club Al-Sadd, first as a player and then as a budding coach.
“This was my dream and now the dream comes true,” Xavi said. “It is very important for me. Of course it is a big challenge, but I am ready, we are ready — all the technical staff — to start immediately.”
He and his staff will have their work cut out for them.
Fati had to be replaced after netting Barcelona’s opener. Midfielder Nico, who was also having a superb performance, and defender Eric García both went down in the second half. They joined an injured list that already included Pedri González, Gerard Pique, Ousmane Dembelé, Sergiño Dest, Sergio Agüero and Martin Braithwaite.
Fati’s left-thigh injury ruled him out of Spain’s decisive World Cup qualifiers next week against Greece and Sweden that it needs to win to qualify directly for next year’s tournament in Qatar. He was replaced by Espanyol striker Raúl de Tomás, who hours earlier scored in a 2-0 win over Granada.
Sergio Busquets, Xavi’s old teammate, doubled the advantage in the 18th with a rare goal for the veteran. The holding midfielder struck a fine curling effort from outside the area to put the ball just inside the post.
And Barcelona looked ready to roll to a big win after Memphis Depay sliced a header home from a cross by Jordi Alba after a key pass by Nico in the 34th.
But then the injuries came, and Celta took the initiative when Aspas pulled one back in the 52nd. The striker finished off a ball that Marc-Andre ter Stegen failed to clear from his area after he poorly blocked a shot by Javier Galán.
Barcelona was then on the defensive when Nolito Agudo’s 74th-minute header cut the deficit to one.
“This Celta never gives up,” Aspas said after he ignited the crowd at Balaídos Stadium with his clutch goal.
Later, Real Madrid can overtake leader Real Sociedad when it hosts Rayo Vallecano.