Barcelona's faltering title bid took another blow as they were held to a 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou by city rivals Espanyol while Atletico were beaten at home by Real Betis and Sevilla were also taken apart on their own patch 4-1 by Almeria.
Today’s derby was very similar to the last home game in Nou Camp against Getafe. The result has been the same, and once again Barça has shown an excellent attitude, virtually having Espanyol cornered, but again they were unable to score. This time, it wasn’t the goal posts that frustrated Barça, but Espanyol keeper Kameni. The high point has been Messi coming on to up the ante in the second half. The league title is becoming further out of reach, but the effort made during the second half provides some optimism for the coming clash against Manchester United.
First impressions
There wasn’t much good football during the first half. Both Barça and Espanyol seemed to be playing under the weight of their recent disappointing results. Both teams were inaccurate and there was little flow coming from their creation zones. The blaugranes tried to take control of the game while the blue-and-whites stayed back, waiting for the chance of a counter-attack.
Barça gain ground
Barça gradually gained ground, thanks mainly to Espanyol’s defensive errors. Barça were particularly incisive on the left, with Silvinho playing the wing. One of the best moves nearly ended in a goal from Gudjohnsen in the 24th minute, but his left-footed shot was saved by Kameni. The other highlights were a shot from Zambrotta and a header from Xavi. Barça couldn’t keep up the pace till the whistle, and hopes turned to Messi’s entrance into the game.
Messi changes everything
At the start of the second half, Messi, one of Barça’s luxury subs, came on together with Iniesta. Messi got the fans on their feet straightaway with a right-footed shot that Kameni managed to save. Kameni pulled off another save from Eto’o just a minute later after a chance created by Messi. In the 51st minute Eto’o missed another clear chance, this time shooting wide.
Goalless
The pace picked up, and the first goal looked near. After yet another frustrated chance falling to Eto’o, Espanyol made some tactical changes, bringing on Ewerthon and Riera, and strengthening the left flank where Messi was operating. This evened out the game more. Barça found courage again, and continued to pressurise Espanyol’s goal area. Espanyol responded by seemingly time-wasting, causing indignation among Barça players and fans alike. Towards the end, Eto’o still had time to create two dangerous chances, but the score sheet stayed at 0-0.
04-20-2008, 01:01 PM
La Liga - Barcelona falter against Espanyol
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