Barca keeper breaks La Liga record

Barcelona's Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo broke a 37-year-old record for minutes unbeaten at the start of a La Liga season in Barca's 2-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.

Bravo, a new arrival from Real Sociedad, surpassed the previous best of 560 minutes set by former Barca and Sociedad keeper Pedro Maria Artola in 1977 midway through the first half of the game in Madrid.

The Chilean produced a superb save in the ninth minute when he leapt to his right to deny Rayo's Alberto Bueno as Barca also became the first team not to concede a goal in their opening seven La Liga games of the campaign.

"I am aware of the record I have beaten because it has been talked about everywhere," Bravo, whose mark now stands at 630 minutes, said in an interview with Spanish television.

"Although I prefer to focus more on collective performance," added the 31-year-old.

"The victory for the team is the main thing because we beat a tricky opponent who created chances against us on a small pitch where it is tough to play your game."