Friday 26 / July / 2024
Barcelona: Barcelona were minutes away from tasting defeat for the first time this season as Granada extended their unbeaten run against the reigning champions to three matches with a 2-2 draw at Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes.
The home team got off to a dream start in Andalusia as Bryan Zaragoza opened the scoring after only 17 seconds, the fastest LaLiga goal this century.
Gavi lost possession in midfield and Granada countered rapidly, with Lucas Boye sending the ball across into the path of the 22-year-old winger to score.
If that wasn't already enough for the youngster to remember this night, he added a second goal before the half-hour mark.
Fed through by former Barcelona man Gerard Gumbau, he beat Jules Kounde for pace and turned both him and Marc Andre Ter Stegen inside out before firing the ball beyond the German goalkeeper.
Things went from bad to worse for Xavi before the break, with Kounde pulling up injured and enforcing a change, with Ronald Araujo replacing him.
On the stroke of half-time, Barcelona pulled one back as Joao Felix found himself central inside the box and able to poke the ball through to Lamine Yamal.
From close range, he hammered the ball into the back of the net to reduce Granada's lead to a single goal.
In doing so, he overtook Fabrice Olinga, who was 11 days older when he scored for Malaga against Celta Vigo in 2012.
Barcelona continued to go all out in the search for an equalizer, but it failed to materialize until the final moments.
The Catalans registered 11 shots after the break, but few of any real quality, with Granada goalkeeper Andre Ferreira up to the challenge of stopping Ferran Torres, who had the best of Barcelona's chances.
That was until the 86th minute, when Sergi Roberto fired home from an Alejandro Balde cross from just yards out to draw the scores equal at the death.
The goal counted and Barcelona were level, despite Granada's furious claims of a foul in the build-up for a Joao Felix push on Jesus Vallejo.
Their rage was clear on the field, with Antonio Puertas going up the other end and sending a rocket of a shot crashing into the post of the Barcelona goal.
Although the game would eventually end 2-2, Barcelona thought they had won it in injury time when Felix rose highest to head in, but the offside flag was up against the Portugal international.
The result means that Barcelona go into the international break three points adrift of La Liga leaders Real Madrid, and one behind Catalan neighbors Girona.
