On Sunday, Barcelona were defeated 1-0 by Rayo Vallecano.
In Sunday's La Liga match, the visitors' early goal was enough to secure the three points. The visitors took the three points thanks to Alvaro Garcia's goal just seven minutes into the league match at Camp Nou.
It's the second time in a week that Xavi's team has lost at home, after being defeated by Cadiz on Monday. They have now lost three consecutive home games after losing to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.
The game ended in controversy, with Barcelona claiming a penalty after Alejandro Catena knocked down Gavi. The referee, however, dismissed their cries, and VAR did not intervene. As he appealed, Ousmane Dembele was cautioned for dissent, and 11 minutes of added time were played at the end of the half. Both sides were booked in the last minutes, with Jordi Alba and Gavi receiving yellow cards for the hosts and Mario Hernandez, Oscar Trejo, and Catena receiving yellow cards for the visitors.
Following the defeat, Barcelona remains 15 points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid. That means Madrid only needs one point to win the league. Madrid's focus will shift to the Champions League semifinals this week, where they will face Manchester City.
They might clinch the league title four days later when they face Espanyol at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Barcelona's next encounter comes on May 1 at home against Mallorca.
Content created and supplied by: Team-Gaius (via Opera News )
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