BARCELONA, March 22 (Reuters) - Ronald Araujo's first-half header gave Barcelona a 1-0 win at home against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, with goalkeeper Joan Garcia delivering a standout performance to preserve the Catalan side's lead at the top of LaLiga.
Barcelona lead the standings with 73 points, seven ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who have a game in hand and will host fourth-placed Atletico Madrid in a Spanish capital derby later on Sunday.
Ronald Araujo scored the winner in the 24th minute heading in from a corner lifted by Joao Cancelo from the left. The Portuguese international crossed the ball to the far post, where the Uruguayan defender jumped higher than Pathe Ciss to nod it in off the right post.
However, the key man for the home side was goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who made a string of saves to deny Rayo what would have been a deserved equaliser, earning the 24-year-old the man of the match award.
"Joan is a fantastic player, and he's showing why we signed him last summer. He was outstanding today," Barcelona boss Hansi Flick told DAZN.
Garcia set the tone in the opening minute, producing a brilliant save to deny Carlos Martin after a surging run down the left by Pep Chavarria.
Raphinha squandered a golden opportunity in the 13th minute, failing to capitalise on a defensive error from Rayo as he missed wide in a one-on-one situation with goalkeeper Augusto Batalla, before Araujo opened the scoring.
Raphinha came close again in the 29th minute, striking the crossbar with a curling effort from the edge of the area. Batalla managed to get a fingertip to the shot, pushing it onto the bar.
Barcelona dominated the first half, but Rayo rallied after the break, using quick counter-attacks to threaten the hosts. Garcia again rose to the occasion, making a superb reflex save in the 59th minute to deny Alvaro Garcia's powerful strike from a tight angle.
Three minutes later, Garcia parried away Isi Palazon's header from a corner, demonstrating his razor-sharp instincts once more as Rayo piled on the pressure.
Rayo's best chance to equalise came in the 83rd minute, but Pacha Espino spurned a glorious opportunity, firing wide in a one-on-one with Garcia before collapsing in disbelief.
Garcia capped his stellar performance in the 89th minute, thwarting Jorge de Frutos' close-range effort to secure all three points for Barcelona.
The victory leaves Barcelona well-placed in their quest to defend their LaLiga title, putting extra pressure on rivals Real Madrid as they host Atletico later on Sunday.
(Reporting by Fernando KallasEditing by Christian Radnedge)
