Eko Hot Blog reports that Barcelona, the reigning Spanish champions, reduce the margin behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid to five points following their 1-0 victory over 10-man Las Palmas on Saturday.
Raphinha scored a header in the second half to secure Barcelona’s win, following the dismissal of Las Palmas’ goalkeeper Alvaro Valles in the 24th minute for a reckless foul.
Barcelona warmed up for their Champions League quarter-final clash against Paris Saint-Germain, their next match in 11 days’ time, with a straightforward victory, albeit by a tight scoreline.
Xavi Hernandez’s side are unbeaten in 11 games since the coach said he would leave at the end of the season and their recent form has given them some faint hope of retaining their title.
Barcelona dominated the opening stages against Las Palmas with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both having goals ruled out for offside.
After Las Palmas goalkeeper Valles was sent off, 10 men Las Palmas set up in a more defensive fashion and tried to frustrate the Catalans, although they again came close when defender Saul Coco smashed a vicious free-kick into the side-netting.
Winger Marvin Park, on loan at Las Palmas from Real Madrid, forced a smart low save by Marc-Andre ter Stegen a minute before Barcelona took the lead.
However, Barcelona broke the deadlock when Joao Felix, on as a substitute, produced a glorious scooped pass into the area for Raphinha to head home his fifth La Liga goal of the season.
Real Madrid is set to take on Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, aiming to restore their eight-point lead.
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