Barcelona's record-breaking xG: Three penalties, Adeyemi miss and several big chances

Even though they managed to score twice at Camp Nou, they had to pick the ball out of their own net seven times. And it was no fluke - the expected goals (xG) figure reached a record 6.74.

Barcelona are among the teams that create the most chances and score the most goals, but even so, this number is extreme. Since data collection began, this is the highest xG ever recorded in LaLiga.

Under Hansi Flick, they broke their own record in Spain’s top flight, set in January this year when they beat Elche away 3-1, with an xG of 6.16. The third-highest xG (5.91) in this regard belongs to Real Madrid, who won 4-1 against Las Palmas in January 2025.

If we compare this with other elite leagues, Barcelona’s performance still earns them the silver medal. In the top five leagues, only Liverpool managed a higher xG in a single match, when on January 1, 2024, they beat Newcastle 4-2 at Anfield, with the Reds’ expected goals reaching 7.1. The bronze goes to the match between Marseille and Saint-Etienne (6.43).

Looking at Barcelona’s match in more detail, penalties played a major role, with the Blaugranas awarded three. While Raphinha converted twice, Lamine Yamal missed in the 45th minute. It’s worth noting that a penalty kick has an xG value of 0.788 - so these three penalties alone accounted for 2.364 xG.

According to Opta, the biggest chance of the first half actually fell to Karim Adeyemi, whose header - despite not resulting in a goal - had an xG of 0.96. It’s also worth mentioning that, according to the stats, this was one of 13 big chances for Barcelona in the match, which is also a LaLiga record for the last 10 years.

It’s no surprise, then, that the attacking trio of Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, and Adeyemi accounted for the majority of the xG. The Brazilian forward, who scored a hat-trick, reached an xG of 2.38 thanks in part to two penalties.

Lamine Yamal, despite an xG of 1.83, only scored once, but also provided two assists and with a rating of 9.4 was named Man of the Match. Adeyemi recorded an xG of 1.66 but didn’t get on the scoresheet.