Raphinha: Brazilian Scores 5th Goal of the Season as Barca Beat Las Palmas

• Barcelona defeated Las Palmas at home
• Raphinha was the goalscorer for the Catalans
• It was his fifth goal in La Liga this season

Spanish champions Barcelona cut the gap on Real Madrid at the top of La Liga to five points with a 1-0 win over 10-man Las Palmas on Saturday.

Raphinha headed home in the second half to clinch Barcelona's victory after the visitors had goalkeeper Alvaro Valles dismissed after 24 minutes for a rash foul.

Barcelona warmed up for their Champions League quarter-final clash against Paris Saint-Germain, their next match in 11 days' time, with a straightforward victory, albeit by a tight scoreline.

Xavi Hernandez's side are unbeaten in 11 games since the coach said he would leave at the end of the season and their recent form has given them some faint hope of retaining their title.

New coach sees China let two-goal lead slip in Singapore stalemate

Football

Real Madrid face Athletic Bilbao on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu, aiming to restore their eight-point advantage.

How Barca defeated Las Palmas

Barcelona dominated the opening stages against Las Palmas with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both having goals ruled out for offside.

Polish striker Lewandowski hit the bar on another occasion as Xavi's side strolled, although former Barca forward Sandro Ramirez threatened at the other end before taking a weak shot.

Las Palmas goalkeeper Valles was sent off after 24 minutes for rushing out of his goal and clattering into the busy Raphinha.

Lewandowski struck the bar again from Joao Cancelo's cross and Raphinha fired narrowly wide when he might have scored as Barcelona continued to press for the opener.

Joao Felix, on as a substitute, produced a glorious scooped pass into the area for Raphinha to head home his fifth La Liga goal of the season.

Rampant Portugal thrash Sweden without Ronaldo

Football

The Brazilian winger drew a VAR television screen in a sarcastic celebration, in reference to his earlier disallowed strike.

Raphinha wants Barcelona success

Sports Brief also reported on Raphinha stating he has lots to offer and is not looking at leaving Camp Nou anytime soon, despite an underwhelming 2022/23 campaign.

The Brazilian winger joined Barcelona amid some huge fanfare last summer from English side, Leeds, but the 26-year-old has failed to meet the club’s expectations.

Raphinha had only managed 10 goals in 50 appearances for the Catalan giants, prompting reports of the Spanish club being willing to offload him after one season.