Barcelona 1-0 Rayo (Mar 22, 2026) Game Analysis – ESPN Skip to main content Skip to navigation ESPN NFL NFL NBA NBA NCAAM NCAAM NCAAW NCAAW MLB MLB NHL NHL Soccer Soccer More Sports More Sports Watch Watch Fantasy Fantasy Where to Watch Search Barcelona v Rayo 2025-26 LALIGA Barcelona Barcelona BAR 24-1-4 , 73 PTS 1 24-1-4 , 73 PTS FT Rayo Vallecano Rayo RAY 7-11-11 , 32 PTS 0 7-11-11 , 32 PTS Ronald Araújo – 24' Summary Report Commentary Statistics Line-Ups Videos Ronald Araújo steers Barcelona past Rayo Vallecano By PA Updated: Mar 22, 2026, 11:25 am Facebook Facebook Messenger Twitter Email Ronald Araújo netted Barcelona's winner against Rayo Vallecano. Getty LaLiga leaders Barcelona ensured Real Madrid could not gain any ground in the Spanish title chase as Ronald Araújo scored the decisive goal in their 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano . Araújo nodded home from a corner in the 24th minute to open the scoring at the Nou Camp, and that proved enough to secure victory for a Barcelona team who had scored 12 goals across all competitions in their last two contests. It took an excellent display from Barcelona keeper Joan García to preserve the clean sheet, keeping out a number of decent opportunities for Rayo to snatch a point, particularly after the break. Barcelona clung on through six minutes of second-half stoppage time to move seven points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who host Atletico on Sunday evening, and leave Rayo four points above the relegation zone. The visitors had the chance to take a surprise first-minute lead when Pep Chavarría picked out Carlos Martín , but he could not lift the ball over Garcia from close range. Rayo then avoided getting punished for giving away the ball and allowing Raphinha a one-on-one gift he spurned, dragging the shot wide, before squandering a second chance 10 minutes later from a fine Lamine Yamal delivery. He seemed caught in two minds before sending it spinning in the direction of the Rayo goal, where Augusto Batalla tipped it over the crossbar, though it looked destined to spin over. Barca broke the deadlock from a João Cancelo corner as Araújo, who had been deployed again at right-back, won the aerial battle, planting his header off the inside of the right post and into the bottom corner. Raphinha twice went close to doubling the hosts’ advantage, the first from long range then another which was dangerously deflected, calling Batalla into a big save to turn it over his crossbar, and it remained 1-0 after a bright Rayo spell late in the first half. Hansi Flick made his first Barcelona substitution after the break, replacing Robert Lewandowski with Ferran Torres . Yamal fired wide after a darting run just before the hour, moments before Rayo substitute Álvaro García drew Joan Garcia into a leaping stop. The Barça keeper palmed away the resulting corner, then made another big save to prevent Unai López , another Rayo substitute, from nodding in from the following set-piece. The flurry of opportunities was a wake-up call for Barcelona, who still held just the one-goal lead with less than 10 minutes remaining when Raphinha picked the pocket of Batalla, who had come out to his right, but his attempt to find a team-mate was blocked. Rayo substitute Alfonso Espino could not control a late chance to equalise, rushing his finish. Garcia once again came in with a big save to deny Jorge de Frutos , then another from a set-piece soon after, and there was a big sigh of relief for Flick when the final whistle blew to conclude the nervy contest. Game Information Spotify Camp Nou 9:00 AM , March 22, 2026 Coverage : ESPN Deportes/ESPN+ Barcelona , Spain Attendance : 56,812 Referees : Adrián Cordero Vega Spanish LALIGA Standings Team GP W D L GD P Barcelona 29 24 1 4 +50 73 Real Madrid 28 21 3 4 +36 66 Villarreal 29 18 4 7 +20 58 Atlético Madrid 28 17 6 5 +22 57 Real Betis 28 11 11 6 +8 44 Celta Vigo 28 10 11 7 +7 41 Real Sociedad 29 10 8 11 -1 38 Getafe 29 11 5 13 -6 38 Osasuna 29 10 7 12 -1 37 Espanyol 29 10 7 12 -8 37 Valencia 29 9 8 12 -10 35 Athletic Club 28 10 5 13 -10 35 Girona 29 8 10 11 -13 34 Rayo Vallecano 29 7 11 11 -7 32 Sevilla 29 8 7 14 -12 31 Elche 29 6 11 12 -8 29 Alavés 28 7 7 14 -12 28 Mallorca 29 7 7 15 -13 28 Levante 29 6 8 15 -14 26 Real Oviedo 29 4 9 16 -28 21 Full Table LALIGA News Barcelona edge past Rayo Vallecano Check out how Barcelona claimed all three points against Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga. Were Barcelona lucky to beat Rayo Vallecano? The 'ESPN FC' crew react to Barcelona beating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in LaLiga. Barcelona holds off Rayo to extend LaLiga lead Ronald Araújo's header gives Barcelona the win over Rayo Vallecano and extends their LaLiga lead to seven points. All LALIGA News Terms of Use Privacy Policy Interest-Based Ads EU Privacy Rights Cookie Policy Manage Privacy Preferences © ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.
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