BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona eked out a 1-0 win after an own goal from relegation-threatened Leganes on Saturday to protect its lead in the Spanish league.
Raphinha, Barcelona’s breakout player of the season and the Champions League’s leading scorer, came through again for Hasni Flick's team in attack – and defense.
Raphina's dangerous cross was turned into the net by Leganes defender Jorge Sáenz for the game's only goal in the 48th minute. The Brazil forward then showed hustle when he disrupted a promising pass for Leganes’ top scorer, Daniel Rabaseda, late in the first half.
The hard-earned win extended Barcelona's lead to seven points over Real Madrid before the titleholders visit Alaves on Sunday. After this weekend there are seven rounds left, including a “clasico” next month.
“These games are where leagues are won,” Barcelona’s Éric García said. “It was a night to put the pressure (on Madrid).”
Leganes shocked Barcelona 1-0 in December, during a dip in form by the Catalan club. But since the start of 2025, Barcelona has now gone 24 games without a loss and is in the running for a treble of titles including the Copa del Rey, where it has set up a final against Madrid.
“To win this match was very important,” Flick said. “I am really proud about my team. What they are doing the last weeks and months is incredible.”
Barcelona kept up is momentum before it visits Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday aiming to make good on its 4-0 first-leg win in their Champions League quarterfinal.
Sáenz’s error spoiled an otherwise strong performance from the southern Madrid side, which generated more scoring chances than the front-runners.
Leganes comes close again
Like their first match this season, Leganes’ five-man backline frustrated the lauded attack of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha at Butarque Stadium.
At the other end, Barcelona struggled with the counterattacks led by Rabaseda.
Alejandro Balde left with an apparent leg problem in the first half. But his replacement, Gerard Martín, helped decide the match when he stole a ball and sparked the quick attack that finished with Sáenz's own goal.
Flick said that Balde “was not so good” but added that the team would have to wait to see what Sunday's medical exam of the player determined to see if he would available for the return leg in Dortmund.
Far from rolling over, Leganes continued to threaten. Substitute Diego García sliced a shot just by the far post, and Íñigo Martínez had to disrupt a good scoring chance by Munir El Haddadi in injury time.
Martínez said his slide to strip the ball from the Leganes striker “feels like scoring a goal, or even better.”
Leganes was left in 19th and two points from safety.
“We leave with our hands empty after having played well against a Barca that wasn’t as effective as usual,” Leganes defender Renato Tapia said.
Espanyol continues turnaround
Espanyol striker Roberto Fernández, who arrived on loan from Braga in the winter market, scored two goals to lead a 2-0 win at Celta Vigo.
Joan García, who leads the league in saves, added another superb stop to his collection this campaign when he stretched to palm a curler by Iago Aspas over the bar with the visitors up 1-0.
Coach Manolo González has turned a modest Espanyol side around with just two losses in its last 12 league games, a run that includes a win over Madrid and a draw with Atletico Madrid. The win in Vigo let Espanyol move into 14th.
Two more away victories
Cyle Larin and Sergi Darder scored as Mallorca beat Real Sociedad 2-0 in San Sebastian. Mallorca leapt over Sociedad into eighth as both fight for a European berth.
Las Palmas also got its first victory of the year, a 3-1 win at Getafe.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press
