Rayo Vallecano 2-1 Barcelona: Below-par Blaugrana condemned to shock defeat

Barcelona missed the chance to go 14 points clear at the top of LaLiga as goals from Alvaro Garcia and Fran Garcia fired Rayo Vallecano to a 2-1 win over the below-par leaders.

Real Madrid’s 4-2 defeat at Girona on Tuesday gave Barca the chance to pull further clear at the summit, but Xavi’s men started slowly and soon found themselves behind to Alvaro Garcia’s low drive.

Barca’s woes were deepened when Fran Garcia broke clear to finish after the break, and although Robert Lewandowski halved the deficit late on, the visitors were unable to find a leveller.

Boasting an 11-point lead over Madrid, Barca still appear destined to win their first league title since 2019, but the Catalan giants have dropped points in three of their last four games after another flat performance.

¡Qué ｌｏｃｕｒａ, @Frangarcia_11! #RayoBarça #VamosRayo pic.twitter.com/YIFvFnURpU

— Rayo Vallecano (@RayoVallecano) April 26, 2023

The first big chance fell to Rayo 17 minutes in, Sergio Camello bursting through after Pedri was caught in possession, only to be denied by Marc-Andre ter Stegen when one on one.

Ter Stegen was unable to save Barca two minutes later, Alvaro Garcia drilling into the bottom-right corner after being found by Camello on the left-hand side of the area.

Stole Dimitrievski preserved Rayo’s lead by smothering Lewandowski’s dinked attempt, and the hosts escaped again on the stroke of half-time, as a VAR review confirmed an on-field decision to disallow the striker’s left-footed finish for offside.

Barca found themselves 2-0 down seven minutes after the restart as Fran Garcia – who is set to re-join former club Real Madrid at the end of the season – raced clear to side-foot calmly under Ter Stegen.

Lewandowski ensured a nervy finish when he volleyed into the top-right corner after Ansu Fati’s shot deflected into his path, but Rayo held on to claim a surprise victory.