Barcelona closed the hole on La Liga leaders Actual Madrid to 5 factors following a hard-fought 1-0 win at house to Las Palmas on Saturday evening.
La Blaugrana had their work reduce out to interrupt down their resilient and dogged guests, who performed a lot of the sport with 10 gamers after goalkeeper Alvaro Valles picked up a Twenty fourth-minute purple card.
Simply earlier than that dismissal, Raphinha had a gap purpose dominated out for offside by VAR, however he caught to his weapons and got here up with the winner on the hour mark.
Right here have been Barca’s finest and worst performers on the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
Raphinha
Discuss of a summer season switch appears to have carried out little to hurt Raphinha, who proved to be Barcelona’s saviour on Saturday.
To not be deterred after his preliminary Nineteenth-minute strike was controversially chalked off for offside, the Brazil winger stored his head up and was Barca’s chief probability creator.
He lastly bought his reward halfway by the second half when he made a run throughout the backline and was picked out by Joao Felix, ending past goalkeeper Aaron Escandell – in for the sent-off Valles – with a thumping header.
Except Barcelona are severely strapped for money, they shouldn’t be purchasing such a dynamic menace like Raphinha. That is the sort of efficiency you level to in an effort to persuade them of that.
Honourable point out
Joao Felix
Certain, he is inconsistent. Certain, it is arduous to truly match him right into a functioning workforce. Certain, he could very properly not be at Barcelona subsequent season. However magic occurs when the ball is on the toes of Joao Felix.
On this event, he got here up with the great help for Raphinha’s profitable purpose, drifting inside from the left wing, ghosting away from a few Las Palmas defenders and choosing out the winger with a deftly floated ball over the defence.
Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski had a purpose of his personal dominated out for offside, however in contrast to Raphinha, he failed to come back again stronger.
The veteran striker additionally rattled the crossbar however his incapacity to truly discover the web towards the ten males of Las Palmas was a regarding indictment of his present high quality.
He picked up a yellow card which guidelines him out of Barcelona’s journey to Cadiz subsequent weekend, however he’ll crucially be out there for his or her go to to Actual Madrid eight days later.
Dishonourable point out
Lamine Yamal
In an unsurprising twist which can have shocked no person, 16-year-old Lamine Yamal appears reasonably knackered after practically a full season of senior soccer.
Maybe Barcelona and Spain ought to cease rinsing their youngsters like bars of cleaning soap, huh?
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