La Liga Match Report: Rayo Vallecano Completes Barcelona Season Sweep With Stunning Win at the Nou Camp

• A seventh-minute goal by Alvaro Garcia saw Rayo Vallecano stun Barcelona 1-0 at the Nou Camp on Sunday night
• This saw the side from Madrid complete a season sweep over the hosts, having defeated them last October
• The Catalans' defeat ensured that all Real Madrid needed to win the La Liga title was one point from five remaining matches

A strike seven minutes into the match by Alvaro Garcia was the difference as Rayo Vallecano defeated Barcelona 1-0 at the Nou Camp in La Liga on Sunday night.

The unexpected result saw the team from Madrid complete a season sweep of Barcelona, having won the corresponding fixture by the same scoreline in the Spanish capital last October. The Catalans' defeat means that Real Madrid needs only one point from their last five matches to win the league.

Barca is on 63 points in second place, separated from Sevilla by goal difference. Rayo moved up to 11th place on 40 points. Xavi Hernandez' men have now lost three home matches on the trot, after initial defeats to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League and Cadiz last Sunday.

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What made the result more amazing were the statistics. The visitors only had four shots at goal all match, with Garcia's goal the only one target. The hosts, on the other hand, had 18, with just five causing the goalkeeper any trouble.

If it wasn't hitting the posts, the Barca players either shooting straight at the goalkeeper, or having their shots cleared off the line thanks to desperate Rayo defending.

Garcia's goal came from a speculative ball into the last third, with Sergino Dest failing to clear it. Garcia, wide of the posts, used the other Barcelona players as a screen to blast the ball past an unsighted Marc-André ter Stegen to silence the fans in the Nou Camp.

Barcelona starting lineup: ter Stegen, Alba, Garcia, Araujo, Dest, F. de Jong, Busquets, Gavi, Torres, Aubameyang, Dembele.

Barcelona subs: Neto, Mingueza, Alves, Pique, Lenglet, Puig, N. Gonzalez, Depay, Traore, L. de Jong, Braithwaite.

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Rayo Vallecano starting lineup: Dimitrievski, F. Garcia, Catena, Maras, Balliu Valentin, Comesana, A. Garcia, Lopez, Palazon, Nteka.

Rayo Vallecano subs: Zidane (GK), Suarez, M. Hernandez, Rodrigues, Ciss, Trejo, Guardiola, Falcao, Sylla, Bebe.

La Liga match preview: Barcelona looks to settle score with Rayo Vallecano

Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano will lock horns at the Nou Camp later this evening.

As reported by Sports Brief, the hosts will look to consolidate their position of second place with 63 points after a remarkable turnaround.

Vallecano is in 14th place on 37 points, relatively safe from relegation.