Barcelona extended their lead over second-placed and main rival Real Madrid to seven points with a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in the 29th round of the Spanish football league. Thanks to a goal from Uruguayan Ronald Araujo, the Catalan side increased their tally to 73 points before the upcoming clash between Real and their neighbors Atletico, and before Barcelona's own match against fourth-placed Atletico in the next round. Barcelona entered the match buoyed by their 7-2 thrashing of Newcastle United in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, continuing their unbeaten run, which has reached eight matches across all competitions (7 wins and 1 draw). Goalkeeper Joan Garcia started the match after being substituted in the 82nd minute of the previous match against Newcastle due to a minor injury, while defender Eric Garcia, who was also substituted in the 22nd minute of the last game, sat on the bench. As he did in the previous match, Araujo, who wore the captain's armband, scored the only goal against Rayo Vallecano with a header, converting a corner kick taken by Portuguese Joao Cancelo (24). The match saw numerous chances for both teams, but the hosts kept a clean sheet for the first time in three matches across all competitions thanks to Garcia's outstanding performance, who was named the man of the match. This was Rayo Vallecano's first league defeat since January 2nd after a run of six matches in which they won two and drew four, leaving their tally at 32 points in 14th place after celebrating reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League midweek.
