Barcelona have thrown away the chance to take pole position in the La Liga points table following their 1-2 defeat to Granada at the Camp Nou Stadium. The Catalans took the lead in the first half of the game courtesy of a Lionel Messi goal.
Despite dominating the game for large chunks of the match, Ronald Koeman’s side were only able to put one goal past Granada’s Aarón Escandell. The two teams headed into the halftime break with Barcelona leading. Darwin Machís and second-half substitute, Jorge Molina inspired the visitors to a historic 1-2 victory at Barcelona’s den.
This result has put the Catalans stuck at third position, level on points with Real Madrid at 71 points. The result has a massive impact on the title race, making it even more open in the last five matchdays. Here’s how Barcelona players are rated in their 1-2 defeat at the hands of Granada –
Barcelona Player Ratings Against Granada
GK : Marc Andre Ter Stegen – 6/10
Poor night for Ter Stegen. The goalie let in two crucial goals which could severely affect the title race.
CB : Oscar Mingueza – 7/10
Mingueza had a satisfactory evening but could have done better during the first goal that Barcelona conceded.
CB : Gerard Pique – 7/10
Pique seemed to go about his job well but Granada were resilient in the second half and it paid off for the visitors.
CB : Samuel Umtiti – 7/10
Not one of the best returns to the starting eleven. Umtiti made a couple of schoolboy errors in the first half which could have made the night further embarrassing for the Catalans.
RWB : Sergi Roberto – 7/10
Roberto was a lively presence down the right-hand side. He made a couple of runs that looked threatening but his final product let him down.
LWB : Jordi Alba – 6/10
Not one of the best evenings for Alba. The full-back was caught out of position on a couple of occasions and did not seem to have the best of nights in the offensive third as well.
CM : Sergio Busquets – 6/10
Busquets seemed a bit slow to the pace of the game and was taken off by Koeman in the second half. Francisco Trincao was brought on to replace the veteran midfielder.
CM : Frenkie de Jong – 7/10
One of the bright sparks for Barcelona on the night. The Dutchman kept the game ticking for the Catalans from the centre of the field and certainly missed his partner in crime, Pedri.
CM : Ilaix Moriba – 6/10
Moriba did not seem to make the most of the opportunity that came his way. After a rather disappointing hour or so at the Camp Nou, Moriba was withdrawn for Pedri.
ST : Lionel Messi – 8/10
Lionel Messi netted his 26th goal for the La Liga season in the first half. However, he could not take his team across the line as he has done several times this season.
ST : Antoine Griezmann – 7/10
Griezmann set up Lionel Messi’s opening goal for the night. The Frenchman had a rather quiet evening apart from that.
Substitutes
Barcelona Player Ratings Against Granada
ST : Ousmane Dembele – 6/10
Tried to get involved with play post his introduction in the 72nd minute but not with great results.
CM : Pedri – 6/10
Pedri tried to weave his magic from midfield but it was just not his day.
ST : Francisco Trincao – NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
