La Liga: Raphinha Scores Again For Barca To Edge Athletic Bilbao

For the second consecutive week, Raphinha, the winger for Barcelona, secured a 1-0 victory in LaLiga, this time against Athletic Bilbao.

Barcelona have been able to pull a double on their former manager Ernesto Valverde with a win at Spotify Camp Nou and San Mames.

The win allowed Barcelona to strengthen their hold on the top spot in the league, just in time for a pivotal week in which they will host second-placed Real Madrid.

In a game where the Catalans were missing Ousmane Dembele, and Pedri, but welcomed Robert Lewandowski back from injury.

Similar to their previous game against Valencia, Raphinha teamed up with provider Sergio Busquets to score an impressive goal right before halftime. Busquets skillfully identified Raphinha's positioning behind the opposition's defence, setting up a thunderous strike.

Despite Athletic Bilbao dominating much of the match and hitting the crossbar twice, Barcelona emerged victorious. A late effort by Inaki Williams was ruled out for a contentious handball in the build-up to the play.

With 65 points, Barcelona maintains a comfortable nine-point lead over Real Madrid. Real must win their upcoming game at Camp Nou to stay in contention for the title. Athletic Bilbao currently holds the ninth position in the league with 33 points.