Barcelona secured a 1-0 win against Las Palmas at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium this Saturday, keeping the pressure on league leaders Real Madrid. The decisive moment came 24 minutes in when Raphinha was fouled by Las Palmas’ goalkeeper Valles outside the penalty area, leading to Valles’ red card and leaving Las Palmas a man down.
READ MORE
++ Al-Hilal offers £88 million for Barcelona’s Raphinha, challenging Liverpool and Tottenham
++ Super agents fight over Raphinha
++ Raphinha, Vitor Roque on facing PSG and Seleção upcoming matches
In the 19th minute, VAR intervened to disallow a goal from Raphinha, bringing a moment of controversy.
VAR called Raphinha offside for this goal 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
One of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen in my life
— H⏳ (@hazfcb_) March 30, 2024
However, at the 60th minute, João Félix delivered a perfect ball over the defense to who headed it home, and humorously celebrated by mimicking the VAR gesture.
Raphinha “VAR célébration” is insane!!!!
You can’t deny someone who’s destined for greatness pic.twitter.com/AjjMrb1OYw
— Stef_andre (@petermurano) March 30, 2024
Interestingly, this goal marks Raphinha’s fourth headed goal for FC Barcelona, with three of them proving to be game-winners. “I knew I had to make it count,” Raphinha said about his goal. This season, he has scored six goals in 29 appearances.
The win narrows the gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid to just five points, with Madrid yet to play in this round. “We’re here to fight until the end,” stated Barcelona’s coach, signaling the team’s intent to challenge for the title.