Striker Robert Lewandowski converted a penalty in the first half, securing a tough victory for Barcelona 1-0 against Rayo Vallecano on Monday, which moved them to the top of the La Liga table.
Barcelona jumped from 3rd place to the top of the table by taking advantage of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid dropping points over the weekend. Real and Barcelona are tied for 51 points, but Barcelona leads on goal differential.
Atletico is one point behind both, and Rayo Vallecano, who are playing well, is in sixth place with 35 points.
Rayo Vallecano Unbeaten Streak Ends Amid Controversial Refereeing Calls
Rayo’s league-winning streak of nine games ended with Barca’s narrow victory, which left them furious over several contentious refereeing calls.
Mario Melero Lopez penalised the home team following a lengthy VAR review after Pathe Ciss fouled Inigo Martinez inside the box. Lewandowski scored the game-winning goal in the 28th minute with a clean finish from the penalty spot.
Rayo’s Frustration Grows Over Disallowed Goal and Denied Penalty
Even though Barca controlled the ball, Rayo still appeared to be the more dangerous team, and Barca goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had to play brilliantly in goal to frustrate their efforts.
Rayo players got upset when their penalty request was denied after Pau Cubarsi appeared to foul Ciss, an incident they believed was similar to the one in which Barcelona was awarded the penalty kick. Rayo was outraged once more when Jorge de Frutos’ goal was harshly disallowed in the 42nd minute.
Szczesny Heroics and Martinez Goalline Clearance Secure Victory for Barca
Martinez made a crucial goalline clearance with his head just before halftime, and Szczesny kept on playing well in the second half, helping secure the three points.
However, Rayo should have equalised when Jorge de Frutos missed a close-range header in extra time.
Rayo Manager Inigo Perez Expresses Bitterness Over Refereeing Decisions
I prefer to keep my opinion about the referee to myself today, but everyone acts as they should or believe they should. When asked about the controversial calls, Rayo manager Inigo Perez expressed his frustration with Movistar Plus.
You always feel the pain of losing, but today it will take a few hours for me to calm down after everything that happened and the way we played. I can only think of one word right now is bitterness…
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