Tiger came back 54 days later. Falcao entered the Rayo squad for the Cornellà game —recovered from his latest muscle injury, details of which are unknown, since the red-and-red club does not offer medical reports—, although in the end he did not play. Iraola’s plan is for him to start shooting to achieve the best version of himself and Everything indicates that the striker will have minutes at the Camp Nou after seven days away. A priori he will not start, but he will enjoy an opportunity in the second half. And it is that the coffee grower is the bullet in the chamber of the Basque technician to find the machada in a Barça fiefdom.
Because if there is someone capable of revolutionizing a contest, it is him. He already showed it against Barça in the first round, when his goal gave victory to a Rayo team that had not beaten the Catalans for 19 years. Something unprecedented for the attacker throughout his career. “We want the fans to see what he never saw, I had never experienced a victory against Barcelona and I got it with La Franja”, he confessed just after the duel.
That October 27, half an hour into the game, Trejo stole a ball from Busquets to attend the Tigrewhat he first dribbled past Piqué and then adjusted his shot to the long post so much so that the ball went in after hitting the wood. A goal that translated into three points because Falcao’s goals this season have not been many, but they have been important. His goal at San Mamés (1-2) was the victory for the red-haired team in 96′ and the one at the Bernabéu (2-1) spurred the Vallecanos, who fought for the tie until the last breath. Thus, the striker entered the club of illustrious Colombians who have wet against whites and Blaugrana, formed by James and ‘Cucho’ Hernández.
Since that goal at the Bernabéu, on November 6, the striker has not scored again nor to have continuity. Injuries have made his appearances somewhat intermittent and he has barely added 328 minutes (of his 662 total) in nine league games (only two complete). Precisely, the derby against Real Madrid in Vallecas was the last appearance of Tiger with the Lightning and now sharpens its claws… Since Falcao has scored four goals against Barça, three with the Atlético shirt (1 in 11-12 and 2 in 12-13) and the victory in this first round (21-22). That will be the way…