FC Barcelona returns to first in La Liga with a 1-0 win over Athletic Club

Ivan Rakitic

FC Barcelona is back in first place in the La Liga standings. On Tuesday, FC Barcelona beat Athletic Club 1-0 in Spanish soccer action.

With the win, FC Barcelona improved to a record of 21 wins, five losses, and five draws for 68 points. They have three more points than Real Madrid, which is second place with a record of 19 wins, three losses, and eight draws for 65 points.

To complete the 2019-20 La Liga season, Real Madrid has eight games left on the schedule, while FC Barcelona has seven remaining games. It will be interesting to see if Real Madrid will be able to use their game in hand to their advantage. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid do not play each other down the stretch.

In FC Barcelonas 1-0 win over Athletic Club on Tuesday, the lone goal was scored by Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic in the 71st minute. For Rakitic, it was his first goal in 25 games during the 2019-20 La Liga season.

The 32-year-old native of Rheinfelden, Switzerland plays for Croatia internationally because his father is from Sikirevci. In 106 games for Croatia, Rakitic has 15 goals. Of those 15 goals, one came at the World Cup. Rakitic scored Croatia’s third goal in a stunning 3-0 win over Argentina on June 21, 2018, from the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. The win for Croatia helped the Croats win Group D in the World Cup two years ago.

After winning Group D, Croatia went all the way to the 2018 World Cup Finals in Moscow. They defeated Denmark 3-2 on penalties in the round of 16 after having a score of 1-1 with Denmark after regulation and extra time. Croatia then beat the host nation of Russia 4-3 on penalties in the quarterfinals after having a score of 2-2 with Russia after regulation and extra time. Then Croatia beat England 2-1 in the semifinals before losing to France 4-2 in the World Cup Finals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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