Synopsis
On February 18, FC Barcelona secured a crucial 1-0 victory against Rayo Vallecano, regaining the La Liga top spot on goal difference. The match was marked by significant controversy, including a penalty decision and a disallowed goal for Rayo. Despite Barcelona's win, Rayo demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout the match.Key Takeaways
- Barcelona tops La Liga with a narrow win.
- Match featured a controversial penalty decision.
- Rayo Vallecano showed strong attacking intent.
- Disallowed goal for Rayo sparked debate.
- Lewandowski's penalty was decisive.
Madrid, Feb 18 (NationPress) FC Barcelona has climbed back to the pinnacle of La Liga, edging Rayo Vallecano 1-0 at home, thanks to a contentious match filled with drama. The lone goal came from the penalty spot, while Rayo had a strong penalty claim turned down and saw a goal disallowed due to a debatable offside ruling.
Barcelona had opportunities to widen their lead, yet Rayo demonstrated their resilience, showcasing an impressive attacking style that nearly resulted in an equalizer.
Robert Lewandowski narrowly missed with a header, and Raphinha's shot went just past the post before the breakthrough arrived in the 27th minute through Lewandowski's penalty, as reported by Xinhua.
Pedri delivered a corner that led to Pathe Ciss being penalized for impeding Inigo Martinez, despite Rayo's goalkeeper Augusto Batalla easily gathering the ball.
The foul was evident, but Rayo players expressed their frustration as referee Melero Lopez had previously ignored a blatant shirt-pull by Barcelona's Hector Fort on Abdul Mumin in the opposite area.
Raphinha shot wide again shortly after the goal, and the half concluded with further controversy when Jorge de Frutos scored during a Rayo counter-attack, only for the goal to be disallowed due to offside against Randy Nketa, who seemingly had no impact on the play.
Rayo proved they were unafraid to match Barcelona's intensity, continuing with their spirited performance into the second half, even as Lewandowski's attempt went wide.
Wojciech Szczesny made a spectacular save against Nketa in the first half and later denied Jorge de Frutos in a thrilling encounter that saw Barca's Dani Olmo thwarted by Batalla's quick reflexes, followed by Raphinha's resulting shot tipped over the bar.
In injury time, De Frutos came close to leveling the score but failed to keep his header down as he reached for a cross from Adrian Embarba.
