Full-time! Barcelona 1-0 Málaga
Málaga defended well but a goal from the most unlikely source gives Barcelona their second 1-0 win from two games. Thanks for reading. Until next time!
90 min + 2: Barça give the ball away and Málaga break but Alba gets in the way of Charles who should really have done more than allow the ball come across him.
90 min + 1: Torres fouls Suárez and picks up a yellow card. That brings up Málaga’s 20th foul of the game.
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90 min: And there will be three additional minutes.
90 min: Final Barça sub sees Mathieu come on for the goalscorer, Vermaelen.
88 min: Suarez, played in by Rafinha, is a foot offside having attempted to bend his run.
86 min: Barcelona change: Neymar’s impressive return from a month out with mumps ends five minutes early, making way for Sandro.
83 min: Barça killing the game now, passing it freely across the back for about a minute before Alba hooks a pointless ball forward. Málaga have possession briefly but it’s given away in midfield, Messi and Neymar combine again but Kameni saves at the near post from Messi.
80 min: There is a noticeable lack of zip to proceedings since the goal. For all of Málaga’s heroic (yet now ultimately futile) defending they have not shown a great amount in attack.
We do not condone the language of our man in Spain. Ahem!
Hit it quite nicely too. A bit of a 'fuck off' of a finish.
— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) August 29, 2015
76 min: Rafinha bursts down the right and tries to send a low pass across goal to Suárez but Albentosa slides in to block. Another corner, again taken short and Barça produce some tricky play side to side on the edge of the area. Now they’ve scored they no longer have to rush.
75 min: Juanpi is sent on in search of an equaliser.
Goal! Barcelona 1-0 Málaga (Vermaelen)
73 min: But that’s only half cleared and the former Arsenal defender is the most unlikely goalscorer with a half-volley from about 12 yards after Kameni can only parry a dangerous Suárez cross from the left.
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72 min: Neymar is cynically fouled by Recio, who has already been booked. The free-kick sees Messi and Neymar exchange a one-two and the former wins another corner. the latter swings it in now Rakitic is off but his delivery is too long.
70 min: Another piledrive from Messi – a left-footed half-volley – is saved by Kameni again. The keeper is having a stormer. Suárez blasts the rebound over but he is offside anyway. That was Barça’s 12th shot on target. Málaga have had one.
68 min: Or is it? Instead of intricate passing moves, they are now putting in a succession of crosses – to little effect. Maybe it’s a lesson to Neymar about United’s style of play when Fellaini is on the pitch?
66 min: Barça persevering with their gameplan but with no way through, is it time they reverted to plan B and hoof it?
(That’s a joke!)
Justin Kavanagh has been dreaming of the sea, it appears. He emails:
Well watching this relentless display of attacking intent (even if it is still 0-0), you can really see why Neymar is so desperate to play alongside Rooney rather than Messi! NOT! Barca resemble a school of circling sharks in bloodied waters. Manchester United have played like sideways-moving crabs on the beach recently.
62 min: Another corner! Albentosa blocks a Neymar drive. Rakitic’s delivery, not for the first time, is below-par and the trackie-bottom-wearing Kameni comes to claim. That’s Rakitic’s last act, he is replaced with Rafinha.
60 min: Neymar feeds Messi again near the D. Messi should shoot but instead he tries to cut the ball back and it’s put out for a corner – Barça’s 10th. It’s sent to Suárez, who heads wide. The front three have almost been too unselfish.
58 min: Messiiiii!!!!! Phwoar! That was close – the Barça star sends a rasping shot towards Kameni’s near post but the goalkeeper matches up with a wonderful reflex save. The resulting corner is worked short and after some tippy-tappy play Iniesta shoots wide from about 20 yards.
57 min: A reminder that Barça were 1/10 to win this game. Still plenty of time, of course, but it’s not become the foregone conclusion so many had envisaged.
53 min: Game beginning to stretch now. Rosales bounds down the right and sends a low cross towards Cop. It is cut out by Roberto and Barça then break. Neymar unselfishly feeds Messi in the area, but his attempt is saved by Kameni. Barça’s eighth corner is directed towards Vermaelen but his scuffed attempt is pounced on by Kameni.
50 min: Barça produce an irresistible series of passes involving Alba, Neymar and Messi, but the latter slips after a final cut back from his Brazilian team-mate catches him a little off balance.
Tonight’s attendance (if you’re bothered): 80,812
48 min: Iniesta produces a delicious drag back to buy himself a yard but Amrabat clatters him from behind. Free-kick deep in Barça’s half.
Peep!
46 min: We are back underway, Málaga restarting and kick from right to left. To give you an insight in to that opening half and how the hosts struggled against an impressive defensive unit: Barça had 68% possession but have been met by 15 successful Málaga tackles and three interceptions.
Half-time: Barcelona 0-0 Málaga
Málaga have defended brilliantly and it is now two and a half games since they last conceded against them! Barça have dominated possession and have been denied two certain penalties but their final ball could be better.
45 min: Another Barça corner, won by Messi, is swung in by Rakitic but it’s bread and butter for Kameni. There will be one minute added on.
44 min: Messi puts in a deep free-kick but there’s too much on it and it bounces out for a goal-kick.
42 min: Suárez sends a shot from the left side of the area straight into the hands of Kameni.
40 min: Another penalty shout turned down and this one is even more stonewall than the first. Suárez is hooked down by Angeleri, it’s a clear foul and the defender is nowhere near the ball as he slides into Suárez’s legs. The whistles raise to another level as the referee tells Suárez to get back to his feet.
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39 min: Huge penalty shout for Barcelona but it’s turned down by the referee. Neymar pulls a ball across and Miguel Torres clearly handles it but the referee waves play on, I suspect because he thought it was accidental as Torres slid. A clear handball that stopped the move, though, and the Camp Nou is up in arms.
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38 min: Barça are intent on going over Málaga’s defence, though to little effect. So far.
35 min: Iniesta sends a tasty cross-field pass to Roberto, arriving at the right post, but he cannot pull it down and Kameni collects. From that the visitors counter and Amrabat provides for Cop, whose half-effort on the slide fails to bother Bravo.
32 min: The most impressive thing about Málaga’s performance so far has been how they have pressurised Barça. They are refusing to allow them a yard of space.
28 min: Rakitic puts it in the mixer this time but it’s dealt with comfortably by the Málaga defence once again.
27 min: Barça’s pressure is not as relentless as earlier but Suárez forces another corner, their fifth of the game but first on the right. Again it’s taken shortly. Messi weaves goalwards and wins another corner.
25 min: The corner is taken short and Messi crosses from the left. Mascherano rises unmarked but his header grazes the bar. He still hasn’t scored for Barcelona!
24 min: Messi looks to be through for the first time after a ball over the top but the angle is too tight for him and he attempts to cut back instead of shooting and wins a corner. Weligton injures himself while trying to chase and his night appears to be over. Albentosa comes on in his place.
22 min: Barça go back on the attack. Alba sends a cross in from the left and Angeleri’s mis-hit clearance flies out for a corner. That’s cleared and Málaga break through Amrabat, even if Messi was fouled in the build-up, but his pass to Cop is poor and Bravo collects. The Málaga striker is furious with his team-mate.
19 min: Málaga push forward and win a corner. Juankar swings it in and although Bravo spills it when initially coming to claim, he smothers at the second time. Then Mascherano concedes possession sloppily near halfway, Juankar picks up the loose ball and spots Bravo 30 yards off his line. He floats an audacious attempt goalwards but it lands on the roof of the net with the Camp Nou in a stunned silence. That was a little close for comfort.
17 min: Messi feeds Roberto, advanced from right back, but his cross towards Neymar at the back stick has too much juice on it.
16 min: Málaga, while showing nada in attack, have defended quite well. They are narrow and unified, not leaving any gaps to be exploited. Will the incessant pressure wear them down though?
13 min: Messi cuts in sharply from the right and on his left sends a curler towards the far corner. It’s deflected and Barça win their second corner. Rakitic takes again, this time towards Busquets, who fails to connect cleanly with the delivery. Goal-kick.
10 min: Málaga have not had a kick in the hosts’ half yet! Barça spreading the ball around at will and they look so, so sharp … though as I type that, Suárez runs out of space and the ball runs out for a goal-kick having been fed by Iniesta in the channel.
7 min: Barça attacking waves but each time they reach the Málaga box they are repelled. Neymar plays in Iniesta who salvages a heavy pass by cutting it back towards Messi but Málaga half clear. Only as far as the returning Busquets, however, who sends a tame shot straight into Kameni’s hands.
4 min: Goal ruled out for offside! Messi skips down the right, finds Suárez and he crosses from the right towards Neymar but Rosales puts it out for a corner. Rakitic takes that, Suárez leaps high about eight yards from goal. He finds the net but is called up for a nudge on Angeleri as he jumped.
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2 min: Lots of bitty play in the opening three minutes. Messi attempted to latch on to a long cross field ball from Iniesta but it was slightly overhit. Málaga already looking compact and sitting back, looking to hit Barça on the counter.
Peep
1 min: Barça get us going, playing from left to right as we watch it in, of course, red and blue. Málaga in blue and white stripes.
Here come the teams! The sun is setting, both teams are in stripes. Neymar had had a fresh haircut, supporters are taking selfies. And that’s all the useless information I will provide you with between now and half-time.
Full-time from Saturday’s early La Liga kick-off: Real Sociedad 0-0 Sporting Gijón
Teams
Barcelona: Bravo; Roberto,Mascherano, Vermaelen, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez, Neymar. Subs: Ter Stegen, Bartra, Mathieu, Gumbau, Rafinha, Munir, Sandro.
Málaga: Kameni; Rosales, Angeleri, Weligton, Torres; Horta, Recio, Tissone, Juankar; Amrabat, Cop. Subs: TBC.
Welcome!
Excuse the short preamble but it’s been a hectic day at Guardian HQ, what with West Ham winning at Anfield and Chelsea losing at home to Crystal Palace. We’ve only caught our breath really and now we must Go Again with some hot La Liga action.
It has been 98 days since the Camp Nou last hosted a La Liga fixture but the wait is over and, really, only the stripes have changed as far as Barça are concerned. They are still a winning machine led by the most devastating front three in footballing history. No wonder they are 1/10 with bookmakers to win tonight … but – hold on – if you look at last season’s results you will find Málaga won 1-0 here last season and the return fixture finished scoreless.
Though he missed the season opening win at Athletic and a fair chunk of pre-season, Neymar is expected to return following his dose of the mumps. Sergio Busquets has shaken off his ankle knock, though Gerard Piqué is suspended.
Málaga are no slouches and drew their opening day game at home to Sevilla. The 36-year-old defender Weligton is back in contention following suspension and you might remember the kerfuffle he had with Lionel Messi last season, grabbing the Barça player’s throat after he allegedly called him a “son of a bitch”. Recio also returns having been banned for last week’s scoreless Andalusian derby, but Roque Santa Cruz is unlikely to feature having signed with the club for a second spell.
Starting XIs to follow. Kick-off is 7.30pm BST, 8.30pm local time.
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