Raphinha inches closer to Ballon d'Or as he equalises a unique MSN record

The Brazilian winger and Barçelona's captain Raphinha ran riots at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys as he helped the club consolidate its position at the top of the Laliga standings. His performance was so good that even the manager, Hansi Flick, couldn't resist himself to lift up his captain after the final whistle. 

FC Barcelona came into the match as favourites but Celta Vigo took them by surprise and ensured the best of the season didn't have an easy outing. The fixture's fate was decided by the last kick of the match.

Raphinha equals the exploits of MSN

Raphinha has been in red-hot form throughout the season. His resurgence is largely credited to the Hansi Flick system that has transformed him into a goal-scoring machine. Raphinha has now become the first Barcelona footballer since the beast MSN ( Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez) to record 50+ goal contributions in a season. Barcelona's skipper has recorded 30 goals and 23 assists in 48 games for Barçelona across club competitions.

Raphinha's timely double spoiled Celta Vigo's striker Iglesias's hat-trick. Earlier, Barcelona were off to a great start as Ferran Torres broke the deadlock in the 7th minute of the first half. However, Celta Vigo threatened to stun the table toppers as they skillfully neutralised Barcelona's high defensive line scoring a hat-trick. However, the Catalans demonstrated their resilience in the face of adversity and made an incredible comeback.

Olmo found the net in the 64th minute, followed by Raphinha's 68th-minute strike that equalised it for the Catalans. A draw appeared inevitable but Olmo's gamesmanship earned Barcelona a penalty in the eighth minute of stoppage time. Raphinha took charge of the penalty and thundered home the ball ensuring Barcelona took all the three points from the fixture.

Barçelona is in pursuit of a treble this season. The Catalan giants are already the table toppers in Laliga. The team also made it to the semi-finals of UCL where they will face a stern test from Serie A club Inter Milan.