Barcelona triumph after Araujo taken off the field in ambulance

MADRID: Barcelona moved a step closer to securing second place in the Spanish league by defeating 10-man Celta Vigo 3-1 on Tuesday despite defender Ronald Araujo leaving the field in an ambulance with a head injury after colliding with a teammate.

Barcelona said Araujo “has suffered a concussion and has been taken to the hospital to undergo further testing” after he and Gavi Paez hit their heads while going for a ball near midfield in the 61st minute at the Camp Nou Stadium. The Uruguay defender seemed OK at first but collapsed after taking a few steps.

“It’s scary when something like this happens,” said forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who scored twice for Barcelona.

The game was interrupted for nearly eight minutes as Araujo received medical assistance and the ambulance was brought onto the field to transport him to the hospital.

“It looked bad at first, with him being put on a stretcher,” Celta striker Iago Aspas said. “After a while they said he was doing better.”

Memphis Depay put Barcelona ahead in the 30th and Aubameyang added to the lead in the 41st and 48th minutes. Aspas pulled the visitors closer in the 50th. The goal came after Araujo misplayed a pass by goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, allowing the ball to be stolen by Celta.

Celta defender Jeison Murillo was sent off in the 58th for a foul to stop a Barcelona breakaway.

The victory left Barcelona seven points in front of Sevilla ahead of the rivals' home match against relegation-threatened Mallorca on Wednesday. The Catalan club was eight points ahead of fourth-place Atletico Madrid, which visits Elche on Wednesday.

Finishing second is important because it guarantees a place in the lucrative Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.

There will be two