Barcelona Secure Narrow Victory Over 10-Man Las Palmas to Keep Title Aspirations Alive

Barcelona managed to eke out a slender 1-0 victory over Las Palmas, courtesy of Raphinha’s fifth La Liga goal of the season, thereby extending their unbeaten streak to 11 matches. The win comes amidst the backdrop of Xavi’s impending departure from the club at the end of the season.

The match saw an early burst of action, with Robert Lewandowski, fresh from international duty with Poland, initially finding the net, only to have his effort disallowed for offside. Shortly thereafter, Lewandowski tested Las Palmas goalkeeper Álvaro Valles with a powerful shot, but was denied by a smart save.

However, it was Raphinha who eventually broke the deadlock, albeit temporarily, only to have his goal ruled out for offside. Las Palmas suffered a setback when Valles was shown a straight red card for a rash challenge on Raphinha, reducing them to 10 men for the majority of the match.

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Despite their numerical advantage, Barcelona struggled to capitalize in the first half, with Lewandowski coming closest to scoring with a header that struck the crossbar. Xavi’s tactical intervention in the second half, bringing on João Félix, proved decisive as the Portuguese forward provided the assist for Raphinha’s goal.

Félix himself came close to adding to Barcelona’s tally, hitting the woodwork with a golden opportunity. However, Barcelona held on to secure the win, narrowing the gap to league leaders Real Madrid to just five points.

The victory sees Barcelona maintain their faint hopes of challenging for the title, while Las Palmas slump to their third consecutive defeat, leaving them languishing in 12th place in the standings.