Barca suffer PSG hangover in Deportivo defeat
MADRID: Barcelona lost 2-1 at relegation-threatened Deportivo La Coruna yesterday in its first match after its amazing win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, giving Real Madrid a chance to retake the Spanish league lead.
Without some of the starters from the 6-1 victory on Wednesday, Barcelona lacked the same intensity that it had at the Camp Nou as its 19game unbeaten streak in the league ended. Defending champion Barcelona stayed on 60 points, one ahead of Madrid, which hosts Real Betis later.
Deportivo, which moved further from the relegation zone with victory at the Riazor Stadium, scored once in each half off corner kicks. Luis Suarez netted Barcelona’s lone goal, and Lionel Messi missed one of the team’s best chances to salvage a draw when his free kick in stoppage time sailed over the crossbar.
The game came four days after Barcelona scored three times in the final minutes to reverse the 4-0 firstleg loss to PSG in the Round of 16 of the Champions League.
Coach Luis Enrique didn’t start Rafinha, Samuel Umtiti and Neymar, who was decisive on Wednesday with two goals and two assists. Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic only entered Sunday’s match in the second half.
Sergi Roberto, who scored the clincher against PSG in the fifth minute of stoppage time, played from the start in La Coruna. Andre Gomes, Denis Suarez and Arda Turan also got a chance to play.
Striker Joselu opened the scoring for Deportivo in the 40th minute with a close-range shot after Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano failed to clear a loose ball inside the area after a corner. Joselu had missed a chance just seconds earlier on a shot that required a remarkable save by goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Suarez equalized less than a minute into the second half with a right-foot strike after Gomes’ attempt was blocked. But the hosts went ahead again in the 74th with a firm header by midfielder Alex Bergantinos off another corner. The goal came just moments after another great save by Ter Stegen to a header by Alejandro Arribas. Deportivo, which had won only one of its last 10 matches, moved to 15th place with 27 points, eight clear of the relegation zone.
Barca boss Luis Enrique accepted it had been “difficult” for his side to lift themselves from the tiredness and euphoria of pulling off the biggest comeback in Champions League history from a 4-0 first-leg deficit.
However, despite missing the injured Neymar, Suarez claimed Barca had enough recovery time to put in a better performance than they showed at Riazor. “There was enough time to recover and we were aware that the league game was coming,” added the Uruguayan.
Barca now lead Real Madrid at the top of La Liga by just a point having played two games more. Madrid can move top later with victory at home to Real Betis. And Enrique claimed it will take a “very strong” end to the season in Barca’s remaining 11 league games to deliver a third consecutive title.
“Now we have to think that we still have matches against our rivals for the title to come,” said Enrique. “We are going to have to have a very strong end to the season to be able to opt for trophies.”
REAL SOCIEDAD 0, ATHLETIC BILBAO 2
Real Sociedad’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League took a hit after a home loss to Athletic Bilbao in the Basque derby.
Real Sociedad needed a victory at its Anoeta Stadium to stay within one point of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, the first team in the qualifying zone for next season’s European competition.
Seventh-placed Athletic got on the board with a 28th-minute penalty kick converted by Raul Garcia and added to the lead with Inaki Williams in the 56th after a mistake by defender Alvaro Odriozola. His pass back to a teammate came up short and was intercepted by Williams. The hosts had a goal disallowed in the 70th after a foul was called on the attack. It was Real Sociedad’s third-straight game without a win at Anoeta.