The lethal trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar fired blank as Barcelona were held to a goalless draw away to Catalan rivals, Espanyol, who produced a fine defensive network to keep the trio out.
The Spanish champions were hardly at their best all afternoon, though they had a Suarez goal ruled offside and hit the woodwork more than twice, first with a brilliant Messi free-kick and then a rebound that fell onto in-rushing Suarez who had managed to dribble past a defender with a great footwork before beating the goal keeper who tried his best to cover his lines.
Espanyol, who sit 11th on the league table, refused to be fazed by the attacking prowess of their rivals, combining an aggressive counter-attacking play that left a chance for the defenders to return to their positions just as quickly as they had climbed.
With the result,Barcelona may have relinquished their lead to Atletico Madrid, who stand a chance of opening up a two point lead at the top of the table with a victory over Levante later on Saturday.
Leave a Reply