April 27, (THEWILL) – Barcelona missed a golden opportunity to extend their lead at the top of La Liga, losing 2-1 to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday.
After Real Madrid’s defeat to Girona on Tuesday, Barca could have gone 14 points clear, but they started slowly and found themselves behind following Alvaro Garcia’s goal. Fran Garcia doubled Rayo’s lead after the break, and although Robert Lewandowski scored late on, Barca were unable to salvage a point.
This was Barca’s third defeat in four games and it was similarly yet another flat performance from the Catalan giants. Despite boasting an 11-point lead over Real Madrid, they have dropped points in recent weeks, and their lead at the top looks far from secure.
However, with the results of dropped points that teams around them have managed, the Blaugrana still appear to be on course for their first league title since 2019. Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, secured a famous victory and moved up to ninth in the La Liga table. They were full value for their win, creating better chances throughout and holding on to claim all three points.
Barca will look to bounce back to winning ways against Real Betis on Saturday, while Rayo travel to Elche for their matchday 32 fixture, hoping that their momentum from the win against Barca will see them through to maximum points.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
