Granada outplay Barcelona at the Camp Nou to earn a draw

A SPIRITED Granada team outplayed Barcelona at the Camp Nou to leave with a well-earned draw

Granada CF made the journey to the Camp Nou in Catalonia tonight, Monday, September 20, knowing that their opponents were not in the best of shape, coming off the back of their midweek hammering by Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and held the Blaugrana at bay for a full 90 minutes, before Barca snatched a last-minute equaliser.

In the worst possible start for under-pressure coach Ronald Koeman, the home side went behind after just one minute, when Sergio Escudero’s corner was headed home past Marc-Andre ter Stegen by Portuguese international, Domingos Duarte to put the club from Andalucia in front, where they stayed until the 90th minute, as Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo nodded home to level the scores, to spare the blushes of the Catalan giants.

In between, Jorge Molina really should have claimed a second for Granada, while Sergi Roberto had the crossbar between him and the goal his team so badly needed, and new boy, Memphis Depay also failed to finish a chance that came from a quick break.

Luis Maximiano in the Granada goal made some fine saves throughout the match, and the defenders in front of him stood strong, with Luuk De Jong failing to convert a headed chance from close range with just 11 minutes to go.

A bold throw of the dice saw Koeman send Gerard Pique on as a substitute, playing him as a striker, as opposed to his normal role in central defence, and a glance at the table tonight will see a mid-table Barcelona already losing ground on the leaders in LaLiga Santander.

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