La Liga: Raphinha comes to Barcelona’s rescue in 1-0 win against Las Palmas

Barcelona picked a hard-fought 1-0 win over Las Palmas, closing the La Liga title gap behind leaders Real Madrid to just five points.

The match continued goalless for long until Raphinha’s late header tipped the balance in Barcelona’s favour, earning them three crucial points.

Raphinha was the standout performer for Barcelona, with his first-half goal disallowed for offside by VAR and his subsequent clash with Las Palmas goalkeeper Alvaro Valles resulting in Valles’ dismissal.

With Las Palmas reduced to ten men, Barcelona pressed for a breakthrough, and it was substitute Joao Felix who injected energy into their attack.

His cross found Raphinha, who powered home the precise header.

The win narrows the gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid, setting up an intriguing title race as the season enters its final stages.

Barcelona will now enjoy a break from league action next weekend due to the Copa del Rey final, before focusing on their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain after an 11-day break.