Barcelona ratings v Athletic Bilbao: Ter Stegen 9, Raphinha 8, Gavi 7

Raphinha's strike earned Barcelona an agonising 1-0 win to restore their nine-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga

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Raphinha's strike earned Barcelona an agonising 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday to restore their nine-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

In Barcelona's first game after being charged with corruption by Spanish prosecutors, they shut out the noise and took another step towards their first title since 2019.

The Catalans secured their 19th clean sheet in 25 La Liga games this season as they held on to earn their ninth 1-0 win of the season, keeping second place Madrid at arm's length after the champions beat Espanyol on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made some superb saves in the second half and Alex Berenguer struck the post, but Athletic could not break down the league leaders.

When Inaki Williams eventually did late on, the goal was disallowed after VAR spotted a handball by Iker Muniain in the build-up.

Updated: March 13, 2023, 7:13 AM