Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano: Score and Reaction from 2015 La Liga Match

Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 5-2 to move to second in La Liga. Neymar Jr sparked the reigning champions into life by converting two first-half penalties, after Luis Enrique's side stunningly fell behind at the Camp Nou. Javi Guerra gave Rayo a shock lead before Neymar took over.

The Brazilian added another brace after the break, courtesy of two link-ups with striker partner Luis Suarez, who also got his name on the scoresheet.

Those goals helped create a scoreline that somewhat flattered manager Luis Enrique's team. Rayo created a host of chances and unnerved Barcelona for long periods of the game.

Enrique mixed up his team to cover injuries, with attacking talisman Lionel Messi and midfield schemer Andres Iniesta notably missing out. Youngsters Sergi Roberto and Sandro Ramirez were included.

Sky Sports La Liga tweeted the Barca starting 11:

Rayo had one-time Manchester United misfit Bebe joining Guerra in attack:

Barca should have been in front before Guerra pounced. A peach of a pass from Roberto released midfield playmaker Ivan Rakitic behind the Rayo defence. But the Croatian maestro couldn't get past determined Vallecano goalkeeper Tono:

Then it was Suarez profiting from some indecision at the back. But the Uruguayan's low drive was turned away by Rayo's stubborn stopper.

Suarez and Co. were soon left to rue their profligacy once Guerra had pounced in the box. ESPN's Dermot Corrigan chided Barca's defensive fragility, especially compared with their miserly form to start last year's campaign:

But Barca didn't trail for long. An in-the-mood Neymar skinned defenders out wide before being felled in the box. His angry, thumping finish from the spot summed up Barcelona's recent frustrations.

Neymar's first goal was the cue for a ton of chances to come Barca's way. Sadly, all of them were spurned.

The most notable came from a low-angled drive by Neymar, hit from the left side of the box. While the ball rippled the net, the linesman's flag denied the strike:

Sandro then wasted a great opportunity. His wayward attempt prompted the Guardian's Sid Lowe to bemoan the lack of quality in Barca's finishing:

But Neymar soon made those culpable forget their mistakes after he won and converted a second penalty.

The dazzling and tricky Brazilian was tying Rayo defenders in knots, per Spanish Football expert Sergi Dominguez:

The game stayed very entertaining fare thanks to Rayo's brave approach. Manager Paco Jemez is faithful to expansive, attractive football, and it showed.

His team pressed in platoons high up the pitch to put Barca's midfield and defence under pressure in possession. Vallecano also stuck to playing out from the back, keeping the ball on the ground with short and stylish passing.

Not many would have been as bold at the Camp Nou. Frankly, the bravado landed Rayo in trouble more than once. But it also maintained their own goal threat, something that always kept Barca edgy and the game intriguing.

As the first half sped to an end, Neymar was denied another clear penalty. Moments earlier, Roberto squandered another great chance for the hosts.

Lowe felt that two penalties weren't enough for Neymar's first-half display:

Rayo began brightly after the break. Guerra was denied by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo after a clever move put the striker through. Vallecano continued to press high in numbers, often committing as many as seven players into Barca's half.

Bravo soon had to rebuff both influential creator Razvan Rat and German midfielder Patrick Ebert. Rayo were producing some superb combination passing and giving Barca plenty to worry about.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Enrique responded to Vallecano's dominance with an attacking move of his own. He subbed the struggling Sandro for young forward Munir.

Neymar was then sent racing clear by the mercurial Suarez. But the Brazilian inexplicably opted against shooting, instead attempting to square the ball to Roberto. It was the first wrong decision Neymar had made all night.

At the other end, Bravo was guilty of a heavy touch, resulting in a deflection he had to force clear that surrendered a corner. The nerves at the back were obvious for Barca.

Speedy winger Lass Bangoura, a thorn in Barca's side all night, then wasted a pair of great chances for Rayo. He lashed the first against the side netting before seeing the second deflected behind for another corner off Jordi Alba.

Those misses proved costly when Neymar smashed in a rebound after a frustrated Suarez was again denied by Tono. Seconds after the restart, Suarez selflessly rolled the ball into Neymar's path for a tap-in and the Brazilian's fourth goal.

The same combination soon undid Vallecano again. Neymar crossed and Suarez deftly turned the ball in:

Three quick-fire goals were a brutal reminder of the difference in quality between Enrique's men and so many clubs they face. Rayo were comfortably the better team to start the second half, but three moments from two star players took the game away from them.

Ebert blasted over what would have been a fine consolation goal after yet another flowing Rayo move. He soon saw a second shot blocked when he might have hit the ball earlier.

Jozabed eventually got the consolation, but it was scant for a game but ultimately overwhelmed Vallecano team.

Post-Match Reaction

Jemez noted after the match how much he felt his team had pushed Barca at the Camp Nou, per the official Twitter feed of the English arm of Spanish publication AS:

Many of the numbers do indeed support Jemez's claim. Dominguez noted how there wasn't much difference in most of the major match stats, bar the important one, of course: 

MisterChip (English) doesn't even credit Barca with that much possession:

Meanwhile, Haugstad provided a particularly telling stat to show Rayo kept Barca pinned back for long periods: 

Yet for all of Vallecano's commendable efforts, individual brilliance gave Barcelona all three points. As the chief practitioner of that brilliance, Neymar earned succinct praise from his manager:

But Enrique didn't miss the chance to call for team-wide improvement in forward areas. Despite five goals, he knows Neymar won't score four every week, Enrique wants to see more "clinical" finishing:

Barca have put their recent domestic woes behind them with this win, following defeats to Sevilla and Celta Vigo. While the performance wasn't anywhere near as emphatic as the scoreline suggests, the club's big guns delivered.

Enrique will be concerned by the increasing fragility at the back. But at least he knows Neymar and Suarez can be counted on in Messi's absence.