Barcelona could be nine points off the top of the La Liga table by the end of the weekend, having been held to a 1-1 draw by Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday evening. It also means that the Catalans have failed to win any of their last three matches in all competitions.
Xavi Hernandez made just one change from the side that lost to Girona last weekend, with Alejandro Balde coming in for Andreas Christensen. However, Barcelona started poorly, and Valencia had multiple chances to open the scoring in the early stages, but Inaki Pena kept the hosts at bay.
Barcelona grew into the game, but they were unable to find the breakthrough before half time. However, they got it soon into the second period, and it came from an excellent team move. Frenkie de Jong’s exquisite through ball found Raphinha, who squared for Joao Felix to finish into an empty net.
Unfortunately for Barcelona, they could not hold the lead. Hugo Guillamon equalised on 70 minutes with a stunning strike from the edge of the box, and with no more goals coming, it meant that the match finished all square.
If Girona defeat Alaves on Monday, Barcelona would be nine points away from first place in La Liga. Furthermore, with Athletic Club’s victory over Atletico Madrid earlier in the day, it means that the Catalans are only three points inside the Champions League places.
What a fabulous goal.