Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic came off the bench to give his side a 1-0 win at home to Athletic Bilbao on Thursday, averting a second consecutive draw which would have further dented the champions' La Liga title defence.
Published : 24 Jun 2020, 04:27 AM
Barca had slipped off the top of the table after Friday's 0-0 draw at Sevilla and put in another sluggish display at an empty Camp Nou, as the star-studded front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann failed to sparkle.
The win took Barca to the top of the standings on 68 points although Real Madrid, on 65, will reclaim their lead due to their superior head-to-head record if they beat Real Mallorca at home on Wednesday.