10-man Barca beat Celta Vigo 3-0

Madrid, October 2

Teenager Ansu Fati scored again to help give Barcelona a second straight win to start the Spanish league season with a 3-0 victory at Celta Vigo. Barcelona won comfortably despite playing more than half the game with 10 men after defender Clement Lenglet was sent off before the break.

Fati also scored twice to lead Barcelona to an opening win against Villarreal on Sunday. The 17-year-old forward found the net against Celta with a neat touch with the outside of his foot from inside the area after a pass by Philippe Coutinho in the 11th minute.

Fati, who was added to the first-team squad this season, has quickly stepped up to take over the scoring role of striker Luis Suarez, who was let go by the club and joined rival Atletico Madrid.

It was the first loss for Celta, who had a win and two draws from their first three games. They hadn’t lost to Barcelona at home in five years, with three wins and two draws in league matches.

Barcelona went a man down in the 42nd after Lenglet was shown a second yellow card for hitting Denis Suarez in the face while opening his arm to keep the Celta player from getting past him.

Barcelona had almost gone a man down in the 35th when Gerard Pique held back Suarez to stop a breakaway, but an offside call prompted the card to be reversed.

Despite the man disadvantage under pouring rain at the Balaidos Stadium in Vigo, Barcelona added to the lead in the 51st with an own-goal by defender Lucas Olaza, who redirected the ball into his own net after Lionel Messi got past two defenders and made a cross into the area. Sergi Roberto closed the scoring with a shot from inside the area after more build-up play by Messi late in stoppage time.

Messi had a goal disallowed by offside in the 59th off the rebound of a Coutinho shot that hit the post.

Sevilla, Barcelona’s opponents in the next round, won their second in a row by defeating Levante 1-0 at home thanks to Youssef En-Nesyri’s goal two minutes into stoppage time. En-Nesyri headed in a cross from Jesus Navas. Promoted Cadiz won 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao. —AP