La Liga: Frankie de Jong rues lack of consistency following ...

Barcelona managed to salvage a single point from a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, courtesy of a late own goal by defender, Florian Lejeune.

Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong and Robert Lewandowski in action (Reuters)

Barcelona managed to salvage a single point from a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, courtesy of a late own goal by defender, Florian Lejeune.

Barcelona, the holding La Liga champions, are currently ranked third in the standings with 31 points, a single point behind second-place holders Real Madrid, and three points short of the unexpected leaders, Girona. Both these teams have an advantage of an extra game in hand.

Speaking after the game, De Jong said Barcelona were not at their level, insisting that they have to be a lot more consistent. Barcelona is under threat from fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, with a score of 28 points and two games in their favour, they are scheduled to face off against Mallorca.

“We didn't play well, we weren't at our level. We have to work harder. We have a good team, the plan is good, everyone ran as much as they could, but we have to be consistent. We have a lot of injuries, it's true, but there is a lot of season left to bounce back,” said De Jong.

Xavi Hernandez, the Barcelona manager, faced a considerable challenge in managing his team due to injuries affecting crucial team members such as Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, the goalkeeper, and midfielder Gavi, who suffered an unfortunate ACL tear during Spain's victorious match against Georgia.

Despite this setback, Hernandez made six adjustments in his team for the match against Rayo Vallecano, the same team that triumphed over Alaves 2-1, but the team's performance continued to wane.

Rayo Vallecano dominated the first half of the game, outplaying last season's champions, and scored the first goal with a remarkable long-range strike by midfielder, Unai Lopez, in the 39th minute.

The goal occurred when, after two unsuccessful attempts by Barcelona's defence to block the ball in a crowded penalty box following a free kick, Lopez swiftly took the opportunity of a loose rebound and scored just inside the left post.

However, the tide turned after the break when Barcelona came back rejuvenated and managed to equalise the game attributable to a blunder by Rayo defender, Lejeune. He inadvertently deflected the ball into his own goal in the 82nd minute while attempting to clear a cross, providing Barcelona with a lifeline in the match.