Rafinha assured Fc Barcelona an important 1-0 victory against Valencia in a La Liga match played at Camp Nou yesterday
However, it was not easy for Barca to get all three points, having to defend deep after Ronald Araujo was sent off with a red card for fouling Hugo Duro as the last defender
Barca could have ended the match earlier if Ferran Torres had scored a penalty kick early in the second half
The victory was of great value to Barca as they have continued to maintain at the top of the La Liga standings with a difference of nine points after their rivals Real Madrid were forced to a 0-0 draw against Real Betis
Barcelona has reached 62 points after 24 matches while Real Madrid have 53 points after 24 matches too
Since their 5-2 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League, Real Madrid have not managed to win in three matches
They drew 1-1 against their rivals from Madrid, Atletico and then lost the Copa Del Rey semi-final game against their big opponent Barcelona 1-0 in their home field and yesterday they were forced to settle a goalless draw against of Real Betis away
