Barcelona's Arturo Vidal, left, celebrates with his teammate Lionel Messi after scoring his side's first goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valladolid and FC Barcelona at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladolid, Spain, Saturday, July 11, 2020 (AP)
Arturo Vidal scored for Barcelona to beat a feisty Valladolid 1-0 on Saturday and keep the pressure on leader Real Madrid as the Spanish league approaches its climax.
Barcelona closed to within one point of Madrid, which has a game in hand, as it tries to defend a title it has won for two consecutive years.
Vidal scored in the 15th minute after being set up by Lionel Messi, who, like most of his teammates, had a discreet outing at Valladolid's Jose Zorilla Stadium empty of fans for health precautions for the pandemic.
Madrid plays at Granada on Monday. Its final two matches are against a Villarreal fighting for a Champions League berth and a Leganes fighting to avoid relegation.
Barcelona has games against Osasuna and Alaves. Madrid holds the tiebreaker if they finish level on points.
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