Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona summary: García goal, score, goals, highlights, LaLiga

Barcelona lose in Madrid

It's a Vallecas victory for Rayo. Barcelona are still, however, 11 points ahead of Real Madrid in second place. 

Rayo move up to 9th place in the table and are now safe for another season. The job Andoni Iraola has done there is remarkable.

Rayo Vallecano 2-1 Barcelona

It's an excellent win for Iraola's men.

It finishes 2-1 to Rayo thanks to goals either side of the break from Álvaro García and Fran García. 

Lewandowski scored late on for Barcelona but it was too late.

It's FULL-TIME!

Rayo have recorded another victory over Barcelona!

Raphinha fouls Raúl de Tomás and Rayo have a free in their own half.

But the away side have been impatient with their final ball and made the wrong decisions in the last few minutes as Rayo look to hold on.

Barcelona certainly have enough time to find an equaliser.

Rayo lead in stoppage time!

There will be FIVE minutes added on here...

Rayo changes

And there's confirmation of those changes.

Iraola is about to make two more changes for Rayo.

Óscar Valentín is down with cramp. He's put in a serious shift.

Rayo 2-1 Barcelona

Can Barcelona score again? Or is it too late?

It's game on!

Kessié's deflected shot falls to Lewandowski, who pounces on it to score with his left foot and give Barcelona a chance.

Barcelona subs

OFF Gavi

ON Pablo Torre

OFF Frenkie de Jong

ON Eric García

Gavi is coming off to plenty of boos from the home supporters.

Lewandowski, with his back to goal, shifts it onto his left and crosses low. It's an easy claim for Dimitrievski.

The home fans have been brilliant tonight. Rayo's record against Barca under Iraola is very impressive, but of course, it's not over just yet. 

Fran enjoyed that one. It was only his second goal of the season.

Unai is through but Araújo comes across to stand him up and win it back. It's a goal-kick for the away side, who have less than 20 minutes to score at least two goals.

Lewandowski is flagged for offside. 

Rayo lead 2-0.

ON Kessié

OFF Pedri

Barcelona are about to take off Pedri, who is just back from being two months out. It makes sense.

CAMELLO!

The striker's volley from inside the area goes just wide.

Trejo comes off

Ciss replaces Trejo.

Raphinha is booked for a foul on goalscorer Fran García.

Double change for Barcelona

OFF Marcos Alonso

ON Jordi Alba

OFF Ferran Torres

ON Ansu Fati

Rayo lead 2-0 and fully deserve it.

Rayo 2-0 Barcelona

Vallecas is bouncing!

It's Fran García's second goal of the season.

Fran García wins it off De jong, before bursting through to slot home past Ter Stegen.

What a goal! What a player!

It's another García; it's another left-footed finish.

FRAN GARCÍA SCORES!!!

Rayo clear this corner too and lead 1-0 in the Spanish capital.

Balde wins Barcelona a corner on the left.

Raphinha curls it in but it's headed away. De Jong picks it up again and plays it wide to Araújo, who wins another corner.

As it stands, Barcelona are 11 points clear at the top of the table. A win here would move them 14 ahead. But that is currently far from guaranteed.

Lewandowski heads Isi's corner away. Isi has also been excellent so far, with his work off the ball and quality on it.

Rayo have been very good so far and deservedly have the lead.

Rayo get us underway for the second half!

The Barcelona players are back out on the pitch for the second half. Still no sign of the Rayo lads.

Rayo 1-0 Barcelona

Rayo lead at the break!

They've made life quite difficult for Xavi's men, too.

Isi Palazón has been a constant thorn in Barcelona's backline.

And it's half-time!

Gil Manzano blows his whistle. 

Rayo lead in Vallecas thanks for Álvaro García's left-footed finish.

There will be three minutes added on.

The exciting Fran García gets down Rayo's left and crosses well for Camello, who hits the target with his header. Ter Stegen collects it without any problems. Camello has been very good for Rayo up front.

He spins and finishes nicely with his left foot but Rayo have their lead back.

LEWANDOWSKI SCORES!

But it's offside!

Camello picks it up on the edge of the box. His right-footed shot is hit as he moves away from goal and Araújo gets a touch on it before it falls into Ter Stegen's hands.

Pedri switches it from right to left but there's too much on it and Balde can't reach it. Barca have struggled to get Balde into the game on the left.

Iraola's Rayo have taken seven points against Barça, winning both of their matches in 2021-22 and drawing in the first game between the sides this season. 

And it's yet another yellow for Barcelona. Isi is fouled again. And it's Gavi again. The Spain international receives a booking.

Substitute Jordi Alba is getting booked for running off the bench to protest after Isi is fouled by Gavi and Rayo win a free.

Balde is fouled for going through Isi from behind.

Lewy hasn't been himself of late.

Isi picks it up in the right half-space before firing a left-footed shot wide. Rayo lead 1-0 in Vallecas and the home fans are getting right behind their team.

Marcos Alonso's inswinging corner is headed away by Unai López.

Barcelona's next corner on the left is sent in by Ferran Torres but Ronald Araújo can't hit the target and his header goes out for a goal-kick.

Vallecas is rocking!

Dimitrievski saves!

He denies Lewandowski with a fine stop from close range as Barcelona look for the equaliser. The Rayo No 1 flies off his line to close the angle.

García with the goal

It's 1-0 to the home side!

ÁLVARO GARCÍA SCORES!

It's an excellent hit from the left-hand side of the box. Ter Stegen has no chance this time.

Ter Stegen comes to Barcelona's rescue once again this season. 0-0.

WHAT A STOP!

Camello is through on goal and shoots low to Ter Stegen's left, but the German keeper gets down to save superbly.

Xavi is without the suspended Busquets and the injured trio of Dembele, Christensen and Sergi Roberto.

Raphinha, as he loves to do, comes in from the right onto his left and fires in a cross. Rayo clear their lines. 

It's been a sloppy start here in Vallecas with both sides struggling to get their foot on the ball.

If Barça can avoid conceding tonight, it would set a new club record of 24 clean sheets in a single league season for Ter Stegen.

Marcos Alonso overhits his corner on the right and Rayo regain possession. 0-0.

Isi has been superb for Rayo this season and is a player Barcelona would have identified beforehand.

ISI!

He gets a yard 20 yards from goal and curls a low left-footed shot. It's on target but it's also easy for the in-form Ter Stegen.

Araújo comes out with the ball from the back and goes long but it ends up straight at Dimitrievski's feet. This is quite a small ground. 

And we're back in action!

The play has been stopped already. Referee Gil Manzano has asked Rayo keeper Stole Dimitrievski to get rid of everything the Rayo fans behind the goal have thrown onto the pitch.

Pedri is back in midfield for the Blaugrana tonight after several weeks on the sidelines.

Barça have failed to beat and score against Rayo in their last three meetings.

Both sides are in their home colours, with Rayo playing from left to right.

Barcelona get us underway!

Tonight's referee is Gil Manzano.

Barcelona XI

Rayo XI

The teams are out!

The teams are currently waiting in the tunnel.

There's a lively atmosphere here in Vallecas!

Rayo got back to winning ways against Osasuna a week and half ago, but lost away to Real Sociedad at the weekend.

Ter Stegen

Ter Stegen has kept 23 LaLiga clean sheets for Barcelona this season, equalling Claudio Bravo's record set in 2014-15.

Barcelona are looking to go 14 points clear at the top of the table with just seven games to go in LaLiga. 

Their recent record against Rayo isn't great but with Pedri back in midfield they will be confident of getting the three points tonight.

Kick-off is just over 10 minutes away!

Rayo-Barcelona head to head

After a run of 13 straight wins against Rayo, Barça have failed to beat and score against the capital side in the last three meetings.

Last season, Rayo did the double over the Blaugrana, winning 1-0 home and away, and the game at Camp Nou on the opening day of this season ended in a 0-0 draw.

Rayo warm-up underway

Rayo are out warming up ahead of kick-off in Vallecas.

LALIGA SANTANDER

Xavi’s Barcelona reaches 150 goals

Xavi’s Barcelona reached the figure of 150 goals with Ferran Torres’ finish against Atlético Madrid on Sunday. 

It’s a goal tally that he has achieved in a total of 82 official matches -- giving an average of 1.82 goals per game -- and Polish striker Robert Lewandowski tops the list of best scorers of the Xavi era, with a total of 27.

These have been divided across LaLiga (17), Champions League (5), Copa del Rey (2), Spanish Super Cup (2) and the Europa League (1).

Team news

Rayo coach Iraola has veteran striker Falcao injured and midfielder Comesaña suspended. 

Barcelona coach Xavi is without the suspended Sergio Busquets and the injured Dembele, Christensen and Sergi Roberto.

Barcelona bench

Peña, Tenas, Éric, Alba, Riad, Casadó, Torre, Kessié, Fati, Yamal.

BARCELONA

Marc-André ter Stegen leading Barcelona to title

The German netminder kept his 23rd clean sheet of the league campaign against Atlético Madrid on Sunday.

Rayo's recent record vs Barcelona

Iraola's Rayo have taken seven points against Barça, winning both of their matches in 2021-22 and drawing in the first game between the sides this season. 

Rayo's subs

Diego López, Morro, Mario Hernández, Mumin, Saveljich, Chavarría, Mario Suárez, Ciss, Pozo, Salvi, Andrés Martín, De Tomás.

Pedri starts

The big news for Barcelona is the return of Pedri to the starting XI.

After making his comeback on Sunday against Atlético, where he played 29 minutes after almost two and a half months out, he returns to the team tonight against Rayo. 

Rayo XI

And here's your Rayo XI!

Barcelona XI vs Rayo

Pedri returns to the starting XI for the Blaugrana.

Rayo arrive

Rayo are here! We'll have their starting XI for you very shortly.

Barcelona can lift the league title quite soon

If Barcelona win their next three games and Real Madrid collect no more than four points in their two upcoming games, the difference at the top of the table will be at least 16 points between the two teams.

Three more wins would move Barça onto 85 points, meaning they could lift the title next week (2 May) when they take on Osasuna at Camp Nou.

Xavi turns it on in Vallecas

Current left-back Alba sets up current boss Xavi.

LALIGA

Every word of Xavi’s press conference ahead of Rayo-Barcelona in LaLiga

Here's all Xavi had to say pre-match.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester City - Arsenal live online: score, stats and updates, Premier League 2022/23

And while you're waiting for the action in Vallecas, my colleague Paul is covering City vs Arsenal at the Etihad. That one should also be a cracker!

Barça travel to the capital

The Blaugrana are 11 points ahead of Real Madrid after Los Blancos suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Girona last night. 

Rayo welcome Barça to Vallecas

It's another night of LaLiga action!

This one doesn't get going until 10pm local time in Spain but we'll have all the latest for you from Vallecas before, during and after. 

Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona: welcome!

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of this LaLiga match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona.