Ronaldinho’s return and Joan García heroics as Barça edge Rayo 1-0 | OneFootball

Barça marked Ronaldinho’s 46th birthday, then edged Rayo Vallecano 1-0 at Camp Nou. Ronald Araujo scored the only goal and Joan García delivered the key second-half save.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, the squad arrived and inspected the pitch in a long sleeve reissue of Ronaldinho’s number 10, complete with the classic yellow TV3 patch. With the stadium still ringed by scaffolding, the tribute continued off the pitch, the shirt on sale for 130 euros immediately after the game.

Attention also turned to Lamine Yamal. Stationed on the right with Cancelo and Raphinha as allies, he could not find a decisive moment and was substituted on 82 minutes. For a second straight match Araujo started at right back and, attacking the far post on 25 minutes, powered in a header that Hansi Flick has often asked of him.

Over the hour Barça lost shape with the lead, but their goalkeeper responded. Treated by medics in the first half after a scare, Joan García, back to full capacity, produced a reflex stop that preserved the slender advantage.

It was an unusual 14:00 kick-off, only the fourth such slot in Barça’s history, a day when tradition met those aiming to shape the future. Flick’s side were resolute before the interval, less controlled after it, and created only isolated chances. For now, Hansi Flick’s Barça are striving to sustain a new era of success that seems to have started.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo