Barcelona secured a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga at Camp Nou, thanks to Ronald Araujo's 24th-minute header. Goalkeeper Joan Garcia made crucial saves to preserve the lead. The win extended Barcelona's advantage at the top of the table to seven points over Real Madrid.
Barcelona hosted 14th-placed Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou on March 22, 2026, in a La Liga match. The home side took the lead in the 24th minute when Ronald Araujo headed in from Joao Cancelo's corner, with the ball hitting the post on its way past Augusto Batalla. Joan Garcia set the tone early with a first-minute save from Carlos Martin's close-range effort and later pushed away Unai Lopez's second-half header, among other stops. Expected goals were 1.36 for Barcelona and 1.83 for Rayo Vallecano. Raphinha missed a chance in the 13th minute by firing wide when clear on goal. Rayo Vallecano felt they should have had a penalty for a challenge by Fermin Lopez on Andrei Ratiu. Alejandro Moreno described Barcelona as 'very underwhelming' and 'very tired,' noting 'It wasn’t just one guy who had a bad game' and that Raphinha had a 'really difficult' game. He added there was 'definitely' a touch by Lopez on Ratiu, though the player tried to embellish it. Barcelona made one change to their lineup from the midweek Champions League win over Newcastle, with Araujo replacing injured Eric Garcia. Other absentees included Andreas Christensen (knee), Jules Kounde, Alejandro Balde and Frenkie de Jong (all hamstring). Barcelona have a perfect 14-match record at Camp Nou since returning and won their last five La Liga games. Rayo Vallecano sit 14th with 28 league goals this season, their last away win in October. The reverse fixture ended 1-1.
