Barcelona tighten grip on LaLiga title race with narrow victory over Leganes

The only goal of the match came via an unfortunate own goal by Leganes defender Jorge Saenz early in the second half, as he inadvertently turned in a Raphinha cross intended for Robert Lewandowski.

With the victory, Hansi Flick's side move to 70 points-seven clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who face Deportivo Alaves on Sunday.

"Today's match was extremely challenging, but securing the three points was crucial," said Flick following the match. "I am proud of the commitment and resilience the team has shown in recent weeks. There is still work to do on both ends of the pitch, but today's result was an important step forward."

The first half offered few clear chances, though Leganes came close to opening the scoring when Dani Raba slipped a well-weighted pass to Adria Altimira, whose effort was denied by Barca goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Barcelona, too, had an opportunity when Jules Kounde broke free but could not find the target.

The deadlock was finally broken after the interval when Raphinha's low cross was redirected into his own net by Saenz, giving Barcelona a crucial lead in a match where clear-cut chances were limited.

Lewandowski, who remains on 99 goals for the Catalan club, came close to reaching his milestone on two occasions but failed to convert, and was eventually substituted for Ferran Torres in the 67th minute.

Leganes appeared to have equalised through a Dani Raba header following another delivery from Altimira, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Their best opportunity to level the score came late in the match, when Diego García fired from distance, though his shot failed to test Szczesny.

With this defeat, Leganes remain in deep relegation trouble - second from bottom on 28 points, two shy of safety.

Barcelona, meanwhile, continue their impressive form. Unbeaten in their last 24 matches across all competitions, they now turn their attention to Europe. The Catalans travel to Germany midweek to face Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal, holding a commanding 4-0 advantage from the first leg. They return to domestic duty next Saturday with a home fixture against Celta Vigo.

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