Dani Olmo scores in his debut to keep Barcelona perfect after 2-1 win over Rayo in Spanish league

MADRID (AP) — Dani Olmo got his dream debut with Barcelona, scoring a late winner to keep the Catalan club with a perfect record to start the Spanish league.

Olmo found the net in the 82nd minute with a low left-footed shot into the far corner after an assist by Lamine Yamal to give Barcelona a 2-1 come-from-behind win at Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday.

Barcelona is the only team with three wins after three rounds this season.

Olmo, who was only registered with the first team Tuesday morning after signing from Leipzig, entered the match at halftime to replace Ferran Torres.

“I was anxious to debut and it couldn’t have been better,” Olmo said. “I’m glad I finally got to play and that I was able to help the team.”

The 26-year-old Spain international, a former member of Barcelona's famed La Masia youth academy, had come close to scoring in the 58th with a shot that hit the crossbar.

“Yeah, he scored the goal, this is why we are happy that he is in our team,” new Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said. “We deserved these three points.”

Rayo, celebrating its centennial this season, opened the scoring nine minutes into the match with Unai López finding the net from close range with a right-footed strike.

Two minutes after Olmo his the crossbar, Pedri evened the match with a shot from near the penalty spot following an assist from Raphinha.

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski thought he had put Barcelona ahead in the 71st but his goal was disallowed by video review after a foul by Barcelona defender Jules Koundé in the buildup.

Flick said it was a “sad” victory because of a knee injury to 17-year-old midfielder Marc Bernal late into second-half stoppage time.

“We win, it’s OK, but when you see the dressing room, no one is happy,” Flick said.

The game came a day after Rayo announced it signed Colombia playmaker James Rodríguez, who watched the match from the tribunes at Vallecas Stadium.

The 33-year-old Rodríguez had his contract with Brazilian club Sao Paulo rescinded after he led Colombia to a runner-up finish in the Copa America, where he had six assists and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. He returns to the Spanish league four years after he left Real Madrid to join Everton in the Premier League.

Barcelona had started the season with victories at Valencia and against Athletic Bilbao at home. Rayo had opened with a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad and a 0-0 draw at Getafe.

Sevilla drew 0-0 at Mallorca in a result that left both teams winless after three rounds. They had lost their opening matches this season.

Sevilla midfielder Saúl Ñíguez was sent off in the 89th for complaining with the referee.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Barcelona's Dani Olmo, left, challenges for the ball with Rayo's Abdul Mumin during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Barcelona's Dani Olmo, right, celebrates with Barcelona's Lamine Yamal after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Barcelona's Dani Olmo, centre, celebrates with Barcelona's Lamine Yamal after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Barcelona players celebrate after Barcelona's Dani Olmo scored his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Rayo's Alvaro Garcia, left, kicks the ball ahead of Barcelona's Ferran Torres during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Rayo's Unai Lopez celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Rayo's Unai Lopez celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Barcelona players react as Rayo's Unai Lopez celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Barcelona's Dani Olmo, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Barcelona's Dani Olmo, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A strike by Starbucks baristas protesting the company's new dress code grew Thursday.

More than 2,000 Starbucks baristas at 120 U.S. stores have gone on strike since Sunday to protest the new dress code, according to Starbucks Workers United, a union representing the coffee giant's U.S. workers.

Starbucks put new limits starting Monday on what its baristas can wear under their green aprons. The dress code requires employees at company-operated and licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada to wear a solid black shirt and khaki, black or blue denim bottoms.

Under the previous dress code, baristas could wear a broader range of dark colors and patterned shirts. Starbucks said the new rules would make its green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers as it tries to establish a warmer, more welcoming feeling in its stores.

But Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents workers at 570 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, said the dress code should be subject to collective bargaining.

“Starbucks has lost its way. Instead of listening to baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is, they are focused on all the wrong things, like implementing a restrictive new dress code,” said Paige Summers, a Starbucks shift supervisor from Hanover, Maryland. “Customers don’t care what color our clothes are when they’re waiting 30 minutes for a latte.”

Summers and others also criticized the company for selling styles of Starbucks-branded clothing that employees no longer are allowed to wear to work on an internal website. Starbucks said it would give two free black T-shirts to each employee when it announced the new dress code.

On Wednesday, Starbucks Workers Union said a total of 1,000 workers had staged walkouts at 75 U.S. stores. Starbucks said at the time that the strike was having a limited impact on its 10,000 company-operated U.S. stores. In some cases the strikes closed stores for less than an hour, the company said.

“It would be more productive if the union would put the same effort into coming back to the table that they’re putting into protesting wearing black shirts to work," Starbucks said in a statement. "More than 99% of our stores are open today serving customers — and have been all week.”

Associated Press readers who shared their opinions had mixed views of the dress code. Some said they didn’t think Starbucks’ baristas had much to complain about, noting that many retailers require their workers to dress a certain way. Others said they thought Starbucks should focus on improving the quality and prices of its beverages, and keeping workers happy instead of worrying about what its employees wear.

Maddie Mucklow, who manages a Starbucks store in Seattle, said she's in favor of the new rules.

“I’ll be honest, I think the dress code was a difficult change for the partners at my store," Mucklow said. "But the dress code gives us a more consistent boundary for how to show up best for each other while still expressing our individuality.”

Starbucks Workers United has been unionizing U.S. stores since 2021. Starbucks and the union have yet to reach a contract agreement, despite agreeing to return to the bargaining table in February 2024.

The union said this week that it filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging Starbucks' failure to bargain over the new dress code.

FILE - Starbucks baristas stand on stage, March 20, 2019, during an annual shareholders meeting in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file)