Leganes 0-1 Barcelona: Barca edge hosts to extend LaLiga lead ahead of Champions League clash

Barcelona extended their lead at the top of LaLiga to seven points after securing a narrow 1-0 victory away to a resilient Leganes on Saturday, stretching their unbeaten league run to 12 matches. The breakthrough came via an own goal by Leganes defender Jorge Saenz, as the Catalan side capitalized on their few chances in a tightly contested encounter.

With the win, Hansi Flick’s side moved up to 70 points, putting pressure on second-placed Real Madrid, who sit on 63 points ahead of their Sunday fixture against Alaves.

“For us today was a very difficult game but winning was very important. I am proud of what my team is doing in the last few weeks and months,” said Barcelona coach Flick.
“We need to work on our defence and attack. But we've got three points and that's what's important,” he added.

Leganes posed a genuine threat in the first half, nearly going ahead when Dani Raba played in Adria Altimira, only for Wojciech Szczesny to make a crucial save. Barcelona responded with a chance from Jules Kounde, who beat Saenz to the ball but failed to hit the target.

The decisive moment arrived after the break, when Raphinha's cross intended for Robert Lewandowski was inadvertently turned into the net by Saenz. Lewandowski, still in search of his 100th goal for the club, came close with a header from another Raphinha delivery before making way for Ferran Torres in the 67th minute.

Leganes believed they had equalized when Raba headed home from an Altimira cross, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Barcelona continued to create chances, with Lamine Yamal and Torres combining late on, though the final finish was lacking.

Despite late pressure from Leganes, including a long-range strike by Diego Garcia, they couldn’t find an equalizer. The loss leaves them second from bottom with 28 points, just two away from safety.

Barcelona, unbeaten in their last 24 matches across all competitions, now shift focus to their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, holding a commanding 4-0 advantage from the first leg. They return to LaLiga action next Saturday at home to Celta Vigo.

SportsLigue