FC Barcelona failed to make up ground on LaLiga leaders Girona after a 1-1 draw against Valencia on Saturday night.
LaLiga
Result: Valencia 1-1 Barcelona
Date: 16 December 2023
Venue: Mestalla Stadium
Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong returned to the Barcelona line-up after the midweek loss to Royal Antwerp in the UEFA Champions League.
Xavi Hernandez's charges nearly fell behind just before the ten-minute mark when Roman Yaremchuk raced clear of Jules Kounde to go through on goal, but goalkeeper Inaki Pena rushed off his line to thwart the attacker.
The defending league champions went up a gear after that and they were nearly rewarded in the 28th minute through Lewandowski's acrobatic volley that was brilliantly turned away by Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
While the Catalan giants dominated possession, they were vulnerable to the counter-attack as Valencia broke forward after 37 minutes as Pepelu ended up picking out Hug Duro, who sent his header wide of the mark.
After a goalless first half, the visitors would go on to break the deadlock ten minutes after the break as Joao Felix found the back of the net by turning home a cross from Raphinha.
The opening goal sparked some life into Valencia, who found the equaliser in the 70th minute as Hugo Guillamon carved out some space on the edge of the box before rifling the ball into the top corner.
Both sides re-shuffled their pack for the latter stages of the half, as Barcelona threw on Ferran Torres and teenager Lamine Yamal, while Alberto Mari, Yarek Gasiorowski and Dimitri Foulquie came on for the hosts.
Unfortunately for the visitors, Valencia remained compact at the back and held out for the draw, leaving Barcelona six points behind Girona in third spot.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
