Barcelona held to 1-1 draw by ten-man Alaves

Lionel Messi-Barcelona

The Blaugrana have shared points after a disappointing away draw.

Barcelona were held to 1-1 draw by Alaves, who played with a man less for the final thirty minutes.

Alaves were gifted their first goal around the half-hour mark after a gaffe from goalkeeper Neto. The Brazilian made a poor first touch inside the penalty area, allowing Rioja to pounce on and find the nets.

Alaves were reduced to ten men after Jota was shown a red card – accumulation of two yellows – at the hour mark.

Barca managed to find the equalizer a minute later when Antonie Griezmann pounced on the loose ball before chipping it over the goalkeeper. The goal was also his first of the season after going through a tough spell.

Ronald Koeman, as he previously did, brought in a flurry of attackers from the bench in search of the winning goal. However, Alaves were equally up to the task and their compact defence gave Barca a run for their money.

The Blaugrana threw everything at the kitchen sink but all the efforts from Messi, Dest, Fati, Pjanic were denied by Alaves’ defence led by the goalkeeper Fernand Pacheco. The Spanish keeper was the one who stood between Barca and their chances of winning.

Ronald Koeman looked in despair following the result as Barca’s run in La Liga continues to wither.

Meanwhile, Alaves deservedly claimed a point and are currently trailing Barcelona in the points table.

The blunder from Neto proved costly but Barca should have done better in the attack, having registered a total of 25 shots with 9 of them on target.