Rayo Vallecano v Barcelona Live Commentary & Result, 26/04/2023, Primera División

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	BAR Barcelona	38	28	4	6	70	20	+50	88	L W L L W
2	RMA Real Madrid	38	24	6	8	75	36	+39	78	D W W L W
3	ATM Atlético Madrid	38	23	8	7	70	33	+37	77	D W D W L
4	RSO Real Sociedad	38	21	8	9	51	35	+16	71	W L W W D
5	VIL Villarreal	38	19	7	12	59	40	+19	64	D L W W W
6	BET Real Betis	38	17	9	12	46	41	+5	60	D W L D W
7	OSA Osasuna	38	15	8	15	37	42	-5	53	W L W L W
8	ATH Athletic Club	38	14	9	15	47	43	+4	51	D L L W L
9	MLL Mallorca	38	14	8	16	37	43	-6	50	W L W L W
10	GIR Girona	38	13	10	15	58	55	+3	49	L L D L D
11	RAY Rayo Vallecano	38	13	10	15	45	53	-8	49	L W L L L
12	SEV Sevilla	38	13	10	15	47	54	-7	49	L L D D W
13	CEL Celta de Vigo	38	11	10	17	43	53	-10	43	W L D L L
14	CAD Cádiz	38	10	12	16	30	53	-23	42	D W L W L
15	GET Getafe	38	10	12	16	34	45	-11	42	D W W D L
16	VAL Valencia	38	11	9	18	42	45	-3	42	D D L W W
17	ALM Almería	38	11	8	19	49	65	-16	41	D D L W L
18	VLD Real Valladolid	38	11	7	20	33	63	-30	40	D D W L L
19	ESP Espanyol	38	8	13	17	52	69	-17	37	D D D W L
20	ELC Elche	38	5	10	23	30	67	-37	25	D W D D W

That's all for today, goodbye!

Barcelona's third league loss of the season means that the gap at the top remains at 11 points, and they still need four wins to get the title. Next up for them is Real Betis at home. Rayo move back into ninth, now just four points off a European place. They travel to the bottom club Elche at the weekend.

Rayo Vallecano beat Barcelona, coming out on top 2-1. The hosts dominated the first half, with Alvaro Garcia putting them ahead after Gavi was caught in possession. Lewandowski did put the ball in the back of the net just before the break, but had it ruled out for a tight offside. Fran Garcia then doubled their lead in the second half, pouncing on De Jong's loose touch before firing home. Lewandowski fired in the rebound from Kessie's shot late on, but they couldn't find an equaliser.

90' + 7' FULL-TIME: RAYO VALLECANO 2-1 BARCELONA.

90' + 5' Ter Stegen rushes his goal-kick, and slips, slicing it straight to Isi. His first thought is to get it into De Tomas, but he was standing offside, and the flag stops the attack.

90' + 3' Barca are moving the ball upfield quickly as they continue to search for a late equaliser. There's a mix-up between Lewandowski and Raphinha though, and the Brazilian fouls Catena, allowing Rayo a breather.

S. Dimitrievski

Yellow Card

90' + 1' Dimitrievski is taking too long over his goal-kick in the referee's opinion, so he's booked for time-wasting.

90' CHANCE! Barca win a free-kick on the right and it's curled in by Alba. Catena's header falls to Lewandowski, who cushions it into Raphinha's path. He takes it on the volley mid-turn but fires into the side netting.

Raúl de Tomás

Sergio Camello

89' And De Tomas is brought on for Camello.

A. Mumin

Óscar Valentín

88' Rayo's final change is a double one. Valentin is the first to go off, with Mumin on in his place.

87' It's an audacious effort from Lejeune from near the halfway line when he spots Ter Stegen off his line and he tries to loop his long-range shot in. The keeper scrambles back, but it's always flying wide.

85' SAVE! Barca have their confidence back and they're moving it upfield much smoother than before. Araujo goes for the big switch to Alba, who cuts inside before curling a cross in. Lewandowski flicks it on, but Dimitrievski holds onto it.

R. Lewandowski

Goal

83' LEWANDOWSKI SCORES! Barcelona have one back! The striker starts the move on the right as he moves it infield to Kessie before continuing his run into the box. The substitute's shot is blocked by Valentin on the edge of the area, but Lewandowski is alert and pounces onto it, firing his volley past Dimitrievski and into the net. 2-1!

82' Balliu makes a great run down the right, but he runs out of steam at the last moment. Alba chases him all the way to hook it upfield but gifts it straight back to the hosts.

Salvi

Álvaro García

80' And Alvaro Garcia makes way for Salvi.

Pep Chavarría

Unai López

80' There's a double switch for Rayo as well, as Chavarria is on for Lopez.

Eric García

F. de Jong

79' And De Jong is replaced by Eric Garcia.

Pablo Torre

Gavi

79' Final rolls of the dice for Barca here as they make a double change. Torre comes on in place of Gavi.

78' It's a poor clearance from Ter Stegen as he fizzes it at Balde, and Balliu is quickly across to win it back for Rayo. He spins to slide it forward for Camello, but Gavi gets across in time to cut it out.

76' Every pass from the hosts is being greeted by a cheer from the fans, and they get even louder when a free-kick goes against Fati for handball. Isi swings it in, but Ter Stegen comes out to punch it away.

74' It's a wonderful clipped ball over the top from Lejeune to pick out Lopez's run off the back of Araujo. The midfielder brings it down with an equally good first touch, but then can't get it out of his feet to have a shot.

72' Rayo's high press is causing Barcelona some real problems at the moment. The defenders can't play out from the back like they want to and they're struggling to get out of their own half.

70' Barca are on the attack again, and Raphinha drops a shoulder to lose Fran Garcia as he cuts inside. He tries to dink it over the top for Lewandowski but sends it too close to Dimitrievski.

F. Kessié

Pedri

68' Barcelona are making another change now as Kessie comes on to replace Pedri.

67' Rayo haven't lost any of their last 19 LaLiga games when they've been leading at half-time (W14 D5), since a 2-1 loss to Eibar back in April 2019.

65' WIDE! Barcelona are caught out by a long ball over the top this time, but Camello gets a yard on Alba to bring it down. He has to take the shot on quickly, firing it across goal on the half-volley, but he sends it just wide.

P. Ciss

Ó. Trejo

63' Rayo are making their first change of the game now as Ciss comes on in place of Trejo.

Raphinha

Yellow Card

61' Raphinha drags Fran Garcia off the ball and goes into the referee's book.

61' SAVE! The Rayo defenders sit back and allow Fati to dart through midfield to get to the edge of the box. He takes a heavy touch, which ends up being a good lay off for Gavi, but his low shot is held by Dimitrievski.

59' Barcelona are pushing forward in numbers to try and get themselves back onto the scoresheet here. They're struggling to link up in the final third though as Rayo stay compact in their shape.

Jordi Alba

Marcos Alonso

57' And Alonso is also taken off, with Alba on in his place. The left-back is already on a booking that he picked up for dissent in the first half.

Ansu Fati

Ferran Torres

57' There's a double change for Barcelona as Alvaro Garcia gets back on his feet after finishing his treatment. Torres is the first to make way, with Fati on for him.

55' Rayo have a couple of players down here - Dimitrievski got a hit to the face as he slid in to block Lewandowski's shot and Alvaro Garcia is holding his knee. The keeper is okay to carry on, but the winger needs treatment.

Fran García

Goal

53' FRAN GARCIA SCORES! Lopez tries to cut out a Barca throw-in, only for his first touch to get away from him. De Jong slides in to try and send it upfield for the visitors, but it hits Garcia, who bursts past Araujo into the box and drills his low shot past Ter Stegen. 2-0 Rayo!

52' Rayo are struggling to keep hold of the ball at the moment, as Araujo gets across to nick it off Valentin this time. He goes long over the top for Torres, but he can't bring it down.

50' It's a wonderful backheel flick from Gavi to spread play out to Torres on the left. He tries to drill a low shot cross into the middle of the box, but Lejeune gets across to block it.

48' Rayo win a series of corners at the start of the half, but they can't make anything of them. Isi hits the first man with both of his attempts, and Trejo can't pick out a team-mate when he recycles it either.

46' Rayo get us back underway for the second half!

Xavi was not happy with that first-half performance and he'll be demanding much more from his players after the break. They let their frustration get the better of them at times, and it allowed Rayo to get on top. The hosts could've easily had more though, and Iraola will be urging them for more of the same to try and get the three points.

Alvaro Garcia's goal is the difference at the break as Rayo lead Barcelona 1-0. The hosts were the better side in the first half and got their reward in the 19th minute when Camello dispossessed Gavi before setting up Alvaro Garcia to fizz it into the bottom corner. Ter Stegen was also called into action three times by Camello, making good saves to keep him out, while Lewandowski had a goal disallowed for a very tight offside at the other end.

45' + 4' HALF-TIME: RAYO VALLECANO 1-0 BARCELONA.

45' + 2' GOOD SAVE! Still, Barca up the pressure as Kounde curls in a dangerous cross from the right. It has Dimitrievski scrambling back to his line so he can tip it over the crossbar.

45' + 1' Barcelona are pushing for an equaliser before half-time as they switch it from left to right. De Jong tries to slot it into Raphinha ahead of him, but gets too much on it, and Dimitrievski collects.

44' CHANCE! Isi is causing Barca all sorts of problems as he drifts out to the left this time to link up with Alvaro Garcia. The goalscorer curls it into the middle for Camello, but his tame header is comfortably held by Ter Stegen.

42' OFFSIDE! Pedri has acres of space to run through the middle before he threads it into Lewandowski just inside the box. He coolly slots it past Dimitrievski into the bottom corner, but the flag goes up against him. A VAR check shows it was by the finest of margins! Still 1-0 Rayo!

40' Xavi is a frustrated figure on the touchline as he watches his side struggle to break down Rayo. They work it back to Ter Stegen once more to go long, only for him to send it straight out of play.

38' It's lovely play from Barcelona down their right until Pedri tries to be too clever by looking for Raphinha with the backheel flick. Rayo cut it out and the hosts are in comfortable possession again.

Gavi

Yellow Card

35' The yellow card is out again, this time for Gavi. He goes through the back of Isi on this occasion, bringing him down with a very late challenge.

Jordi Alba

Yellow Card

34' The ball was there to be won, but as Gavi slid in, he missed it and caught Isi instead. Barca are furious that the free-kick goes against them, and Alba gets booked for his protests from the bench.

Alejandro Balde

Yellow Card

32' Balde has drawn attention to himself again, and after pushing Isi off the side of the pitch, he has his name taken by the referee.

31' Ter Stegen sends a free-kick long over the top and Balde is watching it until he crashes into Balliu, catching the right-back. He stays down for a while, but gets back to his feet without needing treatment.

29' Rayo work it down their right side again, and Balliu's overlapping run opens up space for Isi to cut inside. He takes on the shot from just outside the box, curling it towards the far top corner, but a slight deflection helps it wide.

27' Another Raphinha corner is cleared by the hosts, but it falls nicely for Balde. He's a long way out but drills a low shot through the crowd in the middle and it pinballs wide of the far post.

25' After soaking up another spell of pressure from Barcelona, Rayo break on the counter. Isi manages to squeeze a pass into Camello, who is in a tussling match with Araujo, and it's the defender that comes away with it.

23' GOOD SAVE! Barca break quickly on the counter again after Gavi nicks it off Isi and he sets Raphinha on his way. He bursts forward before squaring it to Lewandowski, but Dimitrievski tips his first-time shot wide.

21' Barcelona are trying to pull themselves back level and win a corner which is half-cleared to Pedri on the edge of the box. He heads it over Lewandowski to Torres, but his tame shot is held by Dimitrievski as the flag goes up.

Sergio Camello

Assist

19' It's brilliant work from the forward to not only win the ball back, but hold it up as support got upfield to join him before picking out the right option.

Álvaro García

Goal

19' ALVARO GARCIA SCORES! It's Camello that wins the ball back this time, bundling Gavi aside to win it back high upfield. He takes it to the edge of the box before spreading it out to Garcia on the left of the box and he fizzes his low shot across goal and into the far bottom corner. 1-0 Rayo!

17' GOOD SAVE! Barca can't find a way forward, and Pedri takes too long on the ball in the centre circle when it's played back to him. Valentin dispossesses him before playing Camello through the middle, and Ter Stegen gets down to keep out his shot.

16' Barcelona work it out from the back, looking down their left this time. Balde makes another good run, and has options with him in the middle, but Balliu tracks him all the way to block his cross.

14' Barcelona lost their last visit to Rayo in LaLiga 1-0 in October 2021, having won each of their previous six such games. Only once before have they lost back-to-back away matches against them in the competition, doing so in December 2002.

12' Barcelona win a corner and Raphinha swings a deep cross into the far post. Araujo is closest to it, but it's still behind him and he can't reach it, even on the stretch.

10' It's better from the visitors as Kounde surges down the right before laying it off to Pedri. His first-time shot is blocked by Fran Garcia, and Torres can't sort out his feet quickly enough to control the rebound.

8' Rayo are moving it upfield quickly when they win possession back, but they're struggling to break Barcelona down at the moment. Balliu and Isi link up well down the right, but Balde stands his ground.

6' Isi spots Ter Stegen off his line and tries an audacious attempt from just inside Barcelona's half. It's a comfortable one for the keeper to track back and collect though.

4' There's a slight delay to Dimitrievski being able to take his goal-kick as paper is being thrown onto the pitch around him. A lot is on the roof of his net, and the referee eventually signals to him to ignore it so the game can get back underway.

2' Lewandowski drops deep and picks Valentin's pocket on the halfway line before getting his head up and curling a wonderful ball into the box. Raphinha is caught on his heels, and Catena gets to it first.

1' Lewandowski gets the game underway for Barca!

The teams are out on the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away!

Rayo haven't lost any of their last three meetings with Barcelona in LaLiga (W2 D1), keeping a clean sheet each time. They had lost their previous 13 matches against them in the competition beforehand.

Xavi makes just one change from their win over Atletico at the weekend, and it's an enforced one. Sergio Busquets is suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards, so Pedri comes in to replace him.

Andoni Iraola makes four changes to the side that lost to Real Sociedad last time out. Catena, Lopez, Alvaro Garcia and Camello are all brought in. Mumin, Martin and De Tomas drop to the bench, while Santi Comesana is missing through suspension.

BARCELONA SUBS: Inaki Pena, Eric Garcia, Arnau Tenas, Ansu Fati, Jordi Alba, Marc Casado, Chadi Riad, Pablo Torre, Lamine Yamal, Franck Kessie.

BARCELONA STARTING XI (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Marcos Alonso, Alejandro Balde; Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi; Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha.

RAYO VALLECANO SUBS: Raul de Tomas, Esteban Saveljich, Mario Hernandez, Abdul Mumin, Jose Angel Pozo, Mario Suarez, Andres Martin, Pathe Ciss, Salvi Sanchez, Pep Chavarria, Miguel Morro, Diego Lopez.

RAYO VALLECANO STARTING XI (4-4-2): Stole Dimitrievski; Ivan Balliu, Florian Lejeune, Alejandro Catena, Fran Garcia; Isi Palazon, Unai Lopez, Oscar Valentin, Alvaro Garcia; Oscar Trejo, Sergio Camello.

After Real Madrid's 4-2 loss to Girona yesterday, Barcelona have the chance to go 14 points clear of their rivals at the top of the league with a win - it also means they're now just four victories away from lifting the LaLiga title. They got back to winning ways last time out, edging past Atletico Madrid 1-0 after a three-match winless run in all competitions (D2 L1), but they are unbeaten in their last seven in the league. As for Rayo, winning just one of their last 10 outings (D5 L4) has seen them slip away from the European places, though they are just seven points behind Villarreal in sixth. That lone victory came in their last home game though, as they beat Osasuna 2-1.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the LaLiga meeting between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona at the Estadio de Vallecas!

Rayo Vallecano v Barcelona Live Commentary, 26/04/2023

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