Barcelona 1-1 Cadiz: LaLiga giants suffer blow in the title race after late

On Feb 21, 2021

Barcelona 1-1 Cadiz: Ronald Koeman’s side suffer another blow in the LaLiga title race after late leveller from visitors – their ONLY shot on target – cancels out Lionel Messi’s early penalty

Barcelona have lost ground in the LaLiga title race after minnows Cadiz stole a point with a last-gasp penalty
Talisman Lionel Messi was on target again for the home team after a first-half penalty had been awarded
Messi broke Xavi’s LaLiga appearance record for the club and also became the top flight’s joint-top scorer
But Alex Rodriguez responded with a spot-kick of his own for the leveller after Clement Lenglet’s poor tackle
The dramatic setback on Sunday means Barcelona are now eight points adrift of leaders Atletico Madrid

Published: 10:03 EST, 21 February 2021 | Updated: 10:54 EST, 21 February 2021

Former Real Madrid youth team player Alex Fernandez scored an 88th minute penalty equaliser for Cadiz to leave Barcelona looking less and less like they might join this season’s title race.

Ronald Koeman’s side are still eight points off the pace and appear to have thrown away their chances in all three competitions in the space of just two weeks.

It was another clumsy penalty box challenge from Clement Lenglet that left Fernandez with the chance to level so late in the game. But Barcelona had only gone into the last minutes hanging on because they failed to kill off a game they should have won easily.

A late penalty for Cadiz saw the LaLiga minnows steal a point at Barcelona and pile the misery on the hosts after a horror week

Lionel Messi made history for Barcelona but the hosts lost even more ground in the title race after shipping the late leveller

Barcelona are now eight points behind leaders Atletico Madrid and failed to respond to their Champions League humiliation

The 19 per cent possession that Cadiz made the most of in the dying minutes only served to further compound their misery.

Gerard Pique said after the game: ‘The result hurts because after Atletico lost we had a chance to get into the race.

‘To lose in the last minutes with a penalty is hard to take that we have not moved closer to the leaders.

‘Every game we don’t win it becomes harder. Everyone will drop points but we have to get on a good run. If we do that we still have a chance.’

MATCH FACTS

Barcelona: ter Stegen, Dest (Mingueza 80), Pique, Lenglet, Alba, de Jong, Busquets (Pjanic 65), Pedri (Trincao 74), Dembele (Puig 80), Messi, Griezmann (Braithwaite 65)

Subs not used: Neto, Fernandes, Umtiti, Firpo, Pena

Goals: Messi 32

Manager: Ronald Koeman

Cadiz: Ledesma, Carcelen, Fali, Mauro, Espino, Garrido (Mari 58), Salvi (Alejo 62), Sobrino, Perea (Jonsson 76), Izquierdo (Alex 59), Negredo (Lozano 59)

Subs not used: Jonsson, Pombo, Saponjic, Gil, Alcala, Malbasic, Flere, Valeron

Goals: Alex 89

Booked: Mari

Manager: Alvaro Cervera

Messi slotted home coolly from the spot after Pedri moved into…