Spanish LaLiga
Result: FC Barcelona 1-1 Athletic Bilbao
Date: 27 September 2018
Venue: Camp Nou
FC Barcelona dropped points for the third straight LaLiga game after they could only manage a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou.
The Catalan outfit were pushing for a return to winning ways after recording a draw and a loss in their last two league clashes.
Barca dominated the possession statistics as expected, but it was the away side who looked more likely to score as Raul Garcia and Inaki Williams forced Marc-Andre Ter Stegen into a couple saves in the opening 20 minutes.
Luis Suarez went close to breaking the deadlock after 26 minutes as the Uruguayan forced Unai Simon into a superb save from 14-yards out after some good work by Arturo Vidal.
However, it was Bilbao who broke the deadlock in the 41st minute through Oscar de Marcos, who was left unmarked at the far post to turn home Susaeta's cross.
With Barca struggling to carve out chances, Messi was eventually introduced in the 55th minute, taking the place of Vidal.
The woodwork led to Barca's frustration after the hour mark, as Philippe Coutinho rattled the crossbar with a volley, while Suarez failed to profit from the rebound.
The equaliser eventually arrived in the 84th minute as Messi turned provider to pick out Munir El Haddadi, who made no mistake from close range.
Barca pushed for a winning goal in the closing stages, but Bilbao managed to hold on for a vital point.
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