Barcelona made hard work of it but secured a fifth consecutive La Liga victory with a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou, ensuring they will remain at least four points clear of Real Madrid regardless of Sunday’s derby result.
Rayo caused problems from the very first minute, beating Barcelona’s high defensive line inside 50 seconds to force a save from Joan Garcia. The hosts struggled to find their rhythm early on, and their first shot on target was a tame effort from Gerard Martin that was comfortably held.
Raphinha went close on a couple of occasions but was unable to find the net, and it took a set-piece to break the deadlock. On 24 minutes, a Joao Cancelo corner picked out Ronald Araujo at the far post, and the defender’s downward header gave Barcelona the lead. Raphinha then struck the crossbar with a powerful effort as the hosts looked to double their advantage before the break.
The second half was a scrappy affair. Rayo grew into the game and came close to levelling through Alvaro Garcia, whose fierce left-footed strike was well saved, before Garcia also somehow tipped away a header from Unai Lopez. Barcelona’s sluggish display drew frustration from the Camp Nou crowd, and Rayo threatened on the counter on several occasions, though Pacha Espino fired over when well placed.
Barcelona managed to hold on for a 15th straight La Liga home victory. For Rayo, the defeat extends a poor run on the road, with just three draws and six losses from their last nine away games.
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