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La Liga: Lamine Yamal Makes History, but Barcelona Stumbles in Title Race Despite Thrilling Draw with Granada
Barcelona made an impressive comeback from a two-goal deficit to secure a thrilling 2-2 draw against Granada, but their aspirations in the La Liga title race took a hit on Sunday. Bryan Zaragoza netted twice for the hosts, establishing a quick 2-0 lead. Still, Lamine Yamal and Sergi Roberto's goals ensured Barcelona's unbeaten record in La Liga remained intact.
Despite their commendable performance, the Catalan giants now find themselves in the third position, trailing leaders Real Madrid by three points and their neighbors Girona by one point, both of whom secured victories on Saturday.
Zaragoza made a stunning impact in the first half, breaking the deadlock just 17 seconds into the game, marking the fastest goal Barcelona has conceded in the 21st century. However, Yamal's goal just before halftime was a historic moment as he became La Liga's youngest-ever goalscorer at the age of 16 years and 87 days. Xavi Hernandez's team managed to level the score with three minutes remaining when substitute Sergi Roberto found the net. However, they were unable to secure a late winner in the high-octane finale.
This marked the third comeback for Barcelona in recent weeks, having previously come from behind to beat Celta Vigo after trailing by two goals and drawing 2-2 with Mallorca despite falling behind twice.
Xavi expressed his thoughts on the match, saying, "I think we totally dominated, we created chances, we deserved more, but (we drew) because of our own mistakes, we can't start off in that way. We take away a point, which for us, is not enough."
Barcelona's night was further marred by a knee injury to Jules Kounde, with the club already dealing with injuries to Robert Lewandowski, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, and Raphinha.
To compensate for Lewandowski's absence, Xavi deployed Ferran Torres as a false nine and handed Fermin Lopez his first start in midfield. Oriol Romeu remained on the bench, as Barcelona started without a pure defensive midfielder, sharing the role between Ilkay Gundogan and Gavi.
The early moments of the game saw Gavi's mistake leading to Granada's first goal, with Lucas Boye setting up Zaragoza for a superb finish. Despite some chances for Barcelona, Zaragoza extended the hosts' lead with a brilliant individual goal, leaving Kounde in his wake before slotting the ball into the top corner.
Barcelona managed to claw their way back into the game just before halftime when Felix provided an assist to Yamal, who made history with his goal. Despite their efforts to find the equalizer, Barcelona had to wait until Sergi Roberto's late strike to level the score.
The match saw a series of intense moments, including a disallowed goal for Granada, leaving both teams with mixed feelings. Granada coach Paco Lopez praised his team and young talent Zaragoza, emphasizing the need to keep him grounded, while the draw kept Granada in the 19th position, two points away from safety.
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