Barcelona, the league leaders, extended their lead over their pursuer and rival Real Madrid to seven points temporarily, following their 1-0 victory over visiting Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in matchday 29 of the Spanish La Liga football season.
With a goal from Uruguayan Ronald Araujo, the Catalan side boosted their tally to 73 points ahead of the highly anticipated clash between Real Madrid and their neighbors Atletico in the round's finale, and before Barcelona's own upcoming matchup against fourth-placed Atletico.
Barcelona entered the game buoyed by their 7-2 thrashing of English side Newcastle United in the Champions League round of 16 second leg, extending their unbeaten run to eight matches across all competitions (seven wins and one draw).
Goalkeeper Joan Garcia started after exiting the Newcastle tie in the 82nd minute due to a minor injury, while defender Eric Garcia—who was substituted in the 22nd minute of that previous match—sat on the bench.
Just as in the last game, substitute for Eric, Araujo—who wore the captain's armband—delivered once again, scoring the match's lone goal against Rayo Vallecano with a header from a corner kick taken by Portuguese Joao Cancelo (24').
The match featured numerous clear-cut chances for both sides, but the hosts kept a clean sheet for the first time in three games across competitions, thanks to Garcia's brilliance, earning him man-of-the-match honors.
This marks Rayo Vallecano's first league defeat since January 2, ending a run of six unbeaten games (two wins and four draws), leaving them frozen on 32 points in 14th place after celebrating their Conference League quarterfinal qualification midweek.
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