Barcelona had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the Spanish League match against host Granada, Saturday (8/1).
In the first half, Barcelona dominated the game and possession of the ball. However, from this dominance, Barcelona did not record a shot on target against Granada.
Xavi Hernandez decided not to make substitutions early in the second half. Substitution was only made in the 54th minute when Eric Garcia was withdrawn to be replaced by Clement Lenglet.
After trying to dismantle Granada’s defense, Barcelona finally broke the deadlock in the 57th minute. Foresight Dani Alves sent a gastric bait into the penalty box.
Dani Alves’ accurate pass was met by Luuk de Jong’s header. Granada goalkeeper Luis Maximiano managed to reach the ball but was unable to block the ball into the goal.
After the goal, the game continues open. Granada are looking for an equaliser while Barcelona are looking to double their lead.
In the 76th minute, Barcelona’s counter-attack almost scored a goal when Abdessamad Ezzalzouli’s shot just went wide on the left side of the Blaugrana goal.
In the final 10 minutes of the match, Barcelona had to play with 10 players after Gavi received a second yellow card.
After that moment, the match got hotter and Gerard Pique and Ezzalzouli also got yellow cards. Granada, which has a superior number of players, can gain momentum to press Barcelona.
Granada finally got the equalizer in the 89th minute. Starting from a corner kick scheme, chaos created in the Barcelona penalty box. Antonio Puertas who got the ball fired a left-footed shot that made Ter Stegen step dead.
Ter Stegen made a blunder in injury time that almost brought Granada’s second goal. But Ter Stegen was able to close the error by brushing the ball out.
The 1-1 score lasted until the end of the game.
De Jong without hesitation stated that the Blaugrana were the losers in the draw against Granada.
“I think we lost two points in this match. We dominated then scored 1-0 but then got a red card. After that the situation became difficult because we played 10 against 11,” said de Jong in an interview after the game.
“Granada kept pressing and sending the ball into the penalty box. In the end they scored a goal. I think we lost two points in this match because we actually deserved to win,” said de Jong.
Barcelona’s failure to win against Granada deserves to be regretted by de Jong and his friends. If only Barcelona won, they could temporarily shot to third position.
Because of the draw, Barcelona is finally still stuck in sixth place in the Spanish League standings.
