Barcelona edged out Real Valladolid 1-0 at home
In the build-up to the first leg of the Champions League last 16 against Lyon, Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde made some sweeping changes, dropping Luis Suárez and Ivan Rakitić from the starting lineup. But in the end, they came on as the side registered a narrow 1-0 victory over Real Valladolid.
The first real chance for either came very late on in the first-half, as Lionel Messi put it wide with his right foot after his initial left-footed shot was blocked. But in the 43rd minute, Barça took the lead with a very fortunate penalty, scored by the Argentine maestro himself.
Gerard Piqué clearly dived in the box after receiving a pass from Messi. The referee pointed to the spot, and did not consult VAR in a very puzzling decision. The Barça captain netted his 22nd goal of the league campaign by putting it into the bottom right corner.
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After half-time, Messi’s volley shot was saved brilliantly by former Barça goalkeeper Jordi Masip. But he missed a golden opportunity to extend the lead in the 52nd minute, putting it wide of the post. Kevin-Prince Boateng continued the trend as he failed to score in a one-on-one situation.
Boateng came off for Luis Suárez, who immediately missed a chance after joining the play. Messi also missed off the rebound. He missed a penalty in the 85th minute after Coutinho was fouled, with Masip saving it brilliantly and also the subsequent header from the Argentina international.
Barça came away with the three points, but the display was very poor. Lionel Messi got on the scoresheet, but was far from his best as he missed a host of chances. Jordi Alba showed some glimpses of his quality, but was inconsistent over the course of the 90 minutes.
Ousmane Dembélé was very good on his first start since returning from injury. He was taken off for Philippe Coutinho. Arturo Vidal and Carles Aleñá were quite good, as the Chilean handled defence and the La Masia graduate showed finesse in attack.
But the man-of-the-match award has to go to former Barcelona B shot-stopper Jordi Masip. The 30-year old Spaniard was absolutely brilliant, as he made many excellent saves. This result is not the one required before the match away to Lyon, but Barça will have to make do.