Barcelona secure second place finish in La Liga with Pedri-inspired victory over Rayo Vallecano | OneFootball

Barcelona 3-0 Rayo Vallecano

Barcelona have secured the objective they set themselves a few weeks ago – second place in La Liga is secured. They did it by defeating Rayo Vallecano at the Estadi Olimpic.

It was a great start for Barcelona, as they broke the deadlock inside three minutes. Lamine Yamal’s lovely cross reached Robert Lewandowski, who controlled before firing into the back of the net.

Despite the early goal, Barcelona struggled to establish any sort of authority over Rayo, who could have equalised on multiple occasions in the second half. The Madrid-based side were made to pay on 73 minutes when Pedri fired home following a scramble inside the penalty area.

Three minutes later, the substitute had his second of the evening, as he was played through on goal before smashing past Stole Dimitrievski for Barcelona’s third, which put the result beyond any doubt.

It means that Barcelona have nothing to play for next week when they visit Sevilla, other than pride. Now, attention will surely turn in the coming days to Xavi Hernandez’s uncertain future as manager.