Raphinha gives Barça another agony triumph

Raphinha gives Barça another agony triumph

Xavi's men, with one less due to the expulsion of Ronald Araujo, beat Valencia and put pressure on Real Madrid

MADRID, 5 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

FC Barcelona, ​​with a solitary goal from Raphinha and with one less player since minute 59 due to the expulsion of Ronald Araujo, beat Valencia this Sunday at the Spotify Camp Nou (1-0) and is consolidated in the leadership of LaLiga Santander crowning its great week, a result that leaves the 'che' team in relegation positions.

The Brazilian striker's goal after a quarter of an hour was enough for a Barça team that had to suffer to redeem the points of their fiefdom; Ferran Torres missed a penalty in minute 55, and the referee did not whistle a possible maximum penalty in the final stretch when the Catalans had already fallen behind.

Despite everything, Barça leaves behind their defeat in Almería and sits at the top of the table (62) with a ten-unit advantage over Real Madrid (52), whom they beat on Thursday in the Cup (1-0). and that he will seek to reduce the distance this Sunday at the Benito Villamarín.

Rubén Baraja's men, with a brave approach, were soon encouraged to venture into the Barça area, but they soon ran into the culé punch. Sergio Busquets warned before quarter of an hour with a shot from the edge, and only a minute later the Blaugrana captain himself assisted Raphinha who, with a header, took advantage of Mamardashvili's poor start to open the scoring (min.15).

The goal intimidated the 'che' team, who began to see how their rival took control of the clash and even came close to 2-0 with shots from Ansu Fati or Ferran Torres. Even so, he enjoyed some good chances before the interval, such as a header from Thierry that went just touching the post or a local clearance error that Samu Lino failed to take advantage of.

As soon as the game resumed, a handball from Hugo Guillamón in the area that the referee designated as a penalty offered Xavi Hernández's men the opportunity to increase their income. Ferran Torres stood up to eleven meters, but his shot crashed into the post.

It was the first of the setbacks for the Catalans, who only a few minutes later, at minute 59, were left with one less player due to the expulsion of Ronald Araujo, who brought down Hugo Duro when he was heading towards the goal alone. The Uruguayan's departure forced Xavi to retouch the scheme, doing without an attacking weapon like Ansu Fati to reinforce himself at the back with Marcos Alonso.

Valencia tried to take advantage of their superiority and launched themselves in search of the goal, which was brushed by Fran Pérez with a shot that went just wide in the 73rd minute. Already in minute 85, the Valencian winger requested the maximum penalty for an entry by Kessié in the area, but the referee did not whistle anything.

Hugo Duro, with a shot that went over the crossbar, and Kluivert, with a shot from the edge that Ter Stegen caught, threatened Barça's triumph, which finally took the points and completed its round week after also taking the Copa del Rey classic.

--RESULT: FC BARCELONA, 1 - VALENCIA, 0 (1-0, at halftime).

FC BARCELONA: Ter Stegen; Balde, Christensen, Araujo, Koundé; Busquets, De Jong (Kessié, min.46), Sergi Roberto (Eric García, min.81); Raphinha (Alarcón, min.87), Ferran and Ansu Fati (Marcos Alonso, min.61).

VALENCY: Mamardashvili; Thierry (Castillejo, min.62), Cenk, Cömert (Diakhaby, min.55), Vazquez; Guillaume, Almeida (Musah, 78 mins), Ilaix (Fran Perez, 62 mins), Foulquier, Lino (Kluivert, 78 mins) and Hugo Duro.

1-0, min. 15: Raphinha.

--REFEREE: Alberola Rojas (C.Castellano-La Mancha). He sent off Ronald Araujo for a direct red card in the 59th minute.

--STADIUM: Spotify Camp Nou. 89,644 viewers.