Barcelona’s perfect start to the La Liga season came to an end in a controversial 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano, a match marred by problems with the video assistant referee (VAR) technology.
The reigning Spanish champions, who had won their first two league matches, took the lead in the 40th minute with a penalty from 18-year-old Lamine Yamal.
The foul was committed by Rayo defender Pep Chavarria, but the decision could not be reviewed as the VAR system was not functioning at the time.
Rayo Vallecano fought back in the second half, with substitute Fran Perez scoring an excellent volley in the 67th minute from a corner.
The match also saw Marcus Rashford make his third appearance for Barcelona since his loan from Manchester United.
The England forward, who came on as a 62nd-minute substitute for Raphinha, struggled to make a significant impact on the poor-quality pitch, though he did provide a superb corner that Eric Garcia headed over.
According to BBC Sport’s Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, the referee had informed both managers before the game that the VAR pictures were not working, and the system continued to have issues throughout the match.
The draw leaves Barcelona in fourth place with seven points from three games, two points behind league leaders Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.
