Barca close in on Real Madrid and Atletico with narrow win

Robert Lewandowski scored the only goal of the match to help Barca win 1-0 against Deportivo Alaves in round 22 of La Liga, thereby closing in on Real Madrid and Atletico on the rankings.

With Real Madrid losing 0-1 to Espanyol, Barca has a great opportunity to shorten the gap on the rankings with their arch-rivals when hosting Alaves at home. Coach Hansi Flick and his team are aiming for a victory to demonstrate their strength after a successful group stage in the Champions League.

Right at the beginning of the match, players from both sides entered the game very quickly and had fierce disputes. In the 7th minute, midfielder Gavi received a yellow card after a tackle on a visiting player. In the 14th minute, he had a dangerous collision with an opposing player and both had to leave the field in regret.

The first half of the match was quite deadlocked when there were not many opportunities created between the two teams. The most notable situation was still Lamine Yamal’s dribbling past a series of away team players before being unfortunately blocked. Barca entered the break with an advantage of one more player when Ander Guevara received a direct red card for a rough tackle in the 45+2 minute.