Raphinha guides Barca past Las Palmas to pressure leaders Madrid
Raphinha celebrates after scoring during the Liga match Barcelona and Las Palmas at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona on March 30, 202
Image credit: Getty Images
Raphinha headed home a second-half winner as Barcelona overcame the 10 men of Las Palmas to draw back to five points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid.
With El Clasico still to come, Madrid cannot afford to slip up when they face Athletic Bilbao on Sunday night.
Barcelona dominated the game and had 69% possession against Las Palmas but struggled to find a breakthrough until Raphinha’s 59th-minute winner, assisted by substitute Joao Felix.
Barcelona were aided by a red card for Las Palmas goalkeeper Alvaro Valles who was sent off following a foul outside the box on a surging Raphinha.
The hosts hit the bar through Robert Lewandowski before the introduction of Joao Felix gave them extra impetus.
The Portuguese star provided a chipped assist for Raphinha’s headed goal before hitting the bar himself.