I was surprised that Barcelona couldn't beat Rayo Vallecano because I see Rayo Vallecano as an easy opponent for Barcelona, and I even played Barcelona in my bet ticket to defeat Rayo Vallecano, but Barcelona held Rayo Vallecano to a draw match through a controversial penalty. Barcelona is always favored by the referee, so I was not surprised with the controversial penalty that helped Barcelona to earn a point against Rayo Vallecano.
Rayo Vallecano has consistently presented difficulties for the big teams in La Liga, including Barcelona and Real Madrid, over the years. Furthermore, in this match, Rayo Vallecano's pressing was insane, and they dared to play openly. If Barcelona's goalkeeper wasn't on fire, Barcelona would have conceded many goals. Rayo Vallecano had numerous chances that should have been goals, but goalkeeper Joan Garcia perfectly saved them.
Yes, that penalty was full of controversy. Rayo should have won the match. In fact, I would say Barcelona held Rayo to a draw, not Rayo holding Barcelona. Because Barcelona's overall performance was very poor, especially when they blocked Rayo's counterattacks. If Flick can't improve, they will struggle to compete with Real Madrid this season.