Carlos Kameni put on a world-class performance as nine-man Malaga held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw on Saturday, costing the Catalans top spot in La Liga.
Lionel Messi pulled out an hour before kick-off due to a sudden bout of vomiting, while Luis Suarez had to sit out a one-match ban for accumulating five yellow cards, paving the way for Arda Turan and Paco Alcacer. However, Gerard Pique slotted back into Barca’s back four, the central defender having recovered from an ankle problem.
Malaga were also struggling with personnel as Zdravko Kuzmanovic, Charles, Recio, Keko and Weligton were sidelined and midfield general Ignacio Camacho was suspended. Nonetheless, the Andalusians travelled to Camp Nou on the back of three wins in their last five and were spearheaded by their in-form, ex-Barca striker Sandro Ramirez.
Indeed, the first shooting chance fell to the attacker, who was released down the right of La Blaugrana’s box, but his effort was launched into side-netting.
Barca awoke after that as Neymar promptly took down a ball over top, springing the Malaga defence, but his half-volley flew inches wide of Kameni.
Sergi Roberto then broke clear down the right and cut the ball back for Alcacer to hit on target, but the striker could only snatch at it.
Kameni was called into action for the first time when he tipped over Pique’s close-range finish after Malaga failed to clear their lines from a corner.
Pique’s subsequent header fell straight to Javier Mascherano at Kameni’s left-hand post. The Argentine could only touch the ball onto the woodwork, although he was later adjudged offside.
Messi’s deputy Arda Turan teed up the Brazilian, whose first touch saw him beat Pablo Fornals for the shot just outside the area, but he couldn’t quite keep it down.
Barca were almost caught out by a freak Malaga breakaway from Rafinha’s sloppy pass, but Pique eventually made up the ground on Sandro and the striker’s best bet was a speculative shot that Ter Stegen gathered.
Rounding off the first half was Rafinha, who hit the ball first time after being found unmarked just inside the Malaga area, yet Kameni produced superb reflexes to push the midfielder’s attempt away.
Seconds into the restart, Neymar was totally unmarked when he peeled off the Malaga defence and met a square ball in the penalty area, but his header was straight at Kameni.
Arda then went down after he headed the ball back across Kameni’s goal from a late Juan Carlos intervention, but the referee debatably passed up the opportunity to award Barca penalty.
Yet it was Malaga who missed arguably the game’s best chance as Juan Carlos rounded Ter Stegen after he darted into the picture from the right, leaving him with an empty net, but he couldn’t direct his finish on target.
Worse still for Malaga, Real Madrid loanee Diego Llorente sliced through Neymar in the centre-circle for a straight red card. The foul itself was probably no more than a yellow, but the defender’s complete lack of intent to win the ball tilted the decision in the Brazilian’s favour.
Barca continued to dominate possession into the latter stages, but it was all very sterile without the majesty of Messi and directness of Suarez on the pitch, even against 10.
It was left to substitute Ivan Rakitic to conjure up something spectacular as he flicked on a corner at Kameni’s near post, but the goalkeeper looked on in delight, the header having bounced the wrong side of the woodwork.
Barca still couldn’t score, even when Andre Gomes was unmarked in the penalty area and floated a header onto the bar. Pique and his teammates were then incredulous after the referee refused to award them a penalty, despite the defender clearly being obstructed in the box.
Neymar seemed to have scored a dramatic winner when he angled a header from a cross at Kameni’s far post, but the goalkeeper somehow made the ground up in a matter of milliseconds to push the ball away at his near post.
The game didn’t finish until three minutes after the allotted four for injury time, enough for Juan Carlos to be sent off for protesting to the referee and two more magnificent Kameni saves from point-blank range.
Barcelona 0-0 Malaga
Llorente sent off 68, Juan Carlos sent off 90 (M)
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Sergi, Pique, Mascherano, Digne (Alba 62); Denis (Denis 68), Busquets, Rafinha (Rakitic 77); Arda, Alcacer, Neymar
Malaga: Kameni; Rosales, Torres, Villanueva, Ricca; Fornals (Duda 90), Llorente; Ontiveros (Luis 69), Anor, Juan Carlos; Sandro (En Nesyri 81)
