Barca left with bitter taste

MADRID. — Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta admitted his side were struggling to digest their 1-1 draw away to strugglers Las Palmas on Thursday night after two big refereeing decisions went against the Spanish La Liga soccer leaders. Match Official Antonio Mateu Lahoz did not spot the home side’s goalkeeper Leandro Chichizola handling the ball after charging out from his area at the end of the first half, which could have lead to the Argentine being sent off.

The referee further enraged the visitors by awarding Las Palmas a penalty early in the second half after the ball brushed against the arm of Lucas Digne, allowing Jonathan Calleri to cancel out Lionel Messi’s ferocious free-kick strike.

The draw leaves Barca only five points ahead of nearest challengers Atletico Madrid before tomorrow’s title show- down against Diego Simeone’s high-flying side at the Nou Camp.

“I’ve always said a referee has a difficult job but in the first half we clearly saw their goalkeeper commit a handball so the draw leaves us with a bitter taste,” Iniesta told reporters.

“Las Palmas did a superb job today and we lacked sharpness in the final third to finish them off. But we are still top of the league even though our lead has been cut down and this result won’t change our mentality.” Fixtures Today: Villarreal v Girona (2pm); Sevilla v Athletic Club (5:15pm); Leganés v Málaga (7:30pm); Deportivo La Coruña v Eibar (7:30pm); Real Madrid v Getafe (9:45pm). Tomorrow: Levante v Espanyol (1pm); Barcelona v Atlético Madrid (5:15pm); Real Sociedad v Deportivo Alavés (7:30pm); Valencia v Real Betis (9:45pm). Monday: Celta de Vigo v Las Palmas (10pm).