FC Barcelona took advantage of Real and Atletico’s slip-ups and regained the lead in the La Liga table thanks to their 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano. The Blaugrana only needed Lewandowski’s converted penalty.
After Real Madrid (1:1 at CA Osasuna) and Atletico (1:1 against Celta Vigo) both drew, the task for the Blaugrana was clear: a win would see Hansi Flick’s team climb to the top of the table. To achieve this, the coach made two changes to the side that won 4-1 away in Sevilla, with Cubarsi and Fort coming in for Araujo and Koundé.
Lewandowski scores from the spot – Rayo equalizer disallowed
Barca controlled the action from the start and had the first shot on goal through Lewandowski’s header (4′). About a quarter of an hour later, Raphinha could have scored, but he missed two good chances (20′, 23′). Shortly after, Lewandowski had the best opportunity: after a corner, Ciss clung to Inigo Martinez outside of the action. After a review of the VAR, the referee Mario Melero Lopez decided on a penalty. The Pole took the penalty and, with the help of the inside post, scored the 1-0 (28′).
The guests from the Madrid district of Vallecas were lucky that Lamine Yamal did not make it 2-0 (30′), but then got into the game better. With deep balls behind the defense, they managed to advance dangerously a few times. This included Nteka’s shot, which Szczesny brilliantly saved (37′), and de Frutos’s goal, which was disallowed because Nteka was in an offside position (43′) – he had blocked Barca defender Inigo Martinez.
Barca miss chances – and almost pay the price
After the break, Barca controlled the game and had good opportunities through Lewandowski (53′) and Lamine Yamal (60′). Nevertheless, all in all, they often lacked consistency in attack. As a result, de Frutos’s men always sensed they had a chance (67′). Substitute Dani Olmo (71) and Raphinha (72) also missed the best chances, so that after a few poorly played counterattacks, Rayo suddenly had a great chance to equalize in injury time. But de Frutos headed the ball wide while unmarked.
So Barca had to tremble again at the end, but ultimately climbed to the top of the La Liga table with a well-deserved 1-0 win. On Saturday (9 p.m. CET) the Catalans now face an away game at Las Palmas, before the Copa semi-final against Atletico on February 23.
