Full-time: Granada 1-4 Barcelona
Neymar comes forward one last time and fires a shot against the post, and that’s full-time. Barcelona had to work hard for their win but Luis Suárez, Neymar and Paco Alcácer made sure of the three points which brings them back to within two of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, though Barça have played a game more. Next comes their crucial game against Sevilla in midweek, when Messi will return to the side. That’s all from me, thanks for reading.
Goal! Granada 1-4 Barcelona (Neymar, 90+1)
With Granada pretty much done, Barcelona attack freely and work the ball right for Alcácer who whips a first-time cross to the back post where Neymar slams the ball home.
87 min Neymar pinches the ball from Lombán in the defender’s area and snaps a low shot but Ochoa blocks well with his feet. Luis Enrique takes the chance to blood the teenager Carles Aleñá, who replaces the impressive Ivan Rakitic in midfield.
85 min Mubarak Wakaso thumps a 30-yard shot straight at Ter Stegen.
Goal! Granada 1-3 Barcelona (Saunier og, 83)
Neymar charges across the pitch from the left. When he tries to set up Suárez the ball instead bounces right and falls for Rakitic on the edge of the Granada box, whose low shot is deflected past Ochoa by the unfortunate Matthieu Saunier.
Red card for Granada! (Agbo, 82)
Uche Agbo picks up a second yellow card and he’s off.
81 min Neymar has just produced one of the most mesmerising runs I’ve seen for some time. It was nowhere near the goal, or particularly necessary, but the way he battled for the ball on the touchline in his own half before dancing between several red and white shirts, offering up an assortment of nutmegs and Cruyff-turns, was pretty spectacular.
78 min Isaac Cuenca, the speedy former Barcelona winger, replaces Gastón Silva for Granada.
77 min Mascherano pulls off a perfectly timed slide tackle in the centre circle which helps set Suárez away down the right, but the Uruguayan’s cross is intercepted before it can find Neymar free at the far post.
76 min Andreas Pereira, the Manchester United loanee who has been anonymous so far, cuts in from the left before lashing a low shot at goal but it’s too close to Ter Stegen.
74 min Granada are playing virtually a seven-at-the-back system with a string of players along their own box. It’s effective but does not make for the most interesting watch.
72 min Granada come forward, probably their first foray of note since their goal. A high cross looks dangerous but Ter Stegen sprints from his line to punch the ball clear.
70 min An email, sent seconds before Alcácer’s goal by Kári Tulinius, but still valid: “Granada don’t seem half bad. To my eyes they’re playing better than the three teams in the Premier League relegation spots.”
68 min André Gomes is replaced by Andrés Iniesta, who is given a huge applause by the Granada supporters as he enters the field. He’s a gent and a genius and he won a World Cup final, so that’s fair enough.
66 min Rakitic twists and turns on the edge of the box before firing a high shot which is well saved by Ochoa. Corner. Neymar delivers long, too long, and Saunier heads clear.
Goal! Granada 1-2 Barcelona (Alcácer, 64)
Luis Suárez battles for the ball with his back to goal 30 yards out and barges Lombán away before hooking a clever pass for Paco Alcácer bursting beyond. The forward has been on the fringes this season but he buries the finish and that’s a crucial goal for Barça.
62 min Busquets tries a chip for Sergi Roberto arriving on the right side of the box but it’s just a little overhit.
60 min The game has become a little scrappy. Andrés Iniesta is warming up.
57 min Barça are back on the ball and on the attack. A crossfield ball finds Alba in the box who cushions a volley back for Neymar, but a hectic Granada defence snap around him and block the shot.
55 min Granada make their second change: Colombian Adrian Rámos replaces Artem Kravets in attack.
54 min Neymar tries a long-range effort but it’s right into the chest of Ochoa. It took Barça 44 minutes to break down Granada in the first half. Now they’ve got to do it all over again.
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52 min Suddenly we have a game on again at Los Cármenes. Boga, by the way, had only scored one goal this season before his cool finish and they were the 20-year-old’s first few touches after coming on at the break.
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Goal! Granada 1-1 Barcelona (Boga, 50)
Granada are just starting to enjoy a rare spell of possession when they feed a couple of quick passes through the middle to set Jérémie Boga through on goal. He approaches the right of the box, composes himself, before firing low past Ter Stegen and into the corner.
Messi could have at least done something vaguely useful like stop a counterattack, no?
47 min Barça have picked up where they spent the entire first period: with the ball in Granada’s half. Jérémie Boga is on at the break for the home side, replacing Angban.
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Second half
Granada get the game back under way. If you are wondering why Messi is not playing, he is suspended after picking up what can only be described as a ‘tactical yellow’. This has to be one of the most ridiculous aspects of modern football.
How Messi purposely got his 5th yellow card against Valencia. Hilarious. 😂 pic.twitter.com/uYT6a5y2S5
— Barçalize (@LeoMoments) March 20, 2017
The players are out for the second half in Granada.
Half-time: Granada 0-1 Barcelona
Guillermo Ochoa was brilliant all half in the Granada goal, but there was very little he could about that stunning finish. A relieved Barça lead at the break.
Goal! Granada 0-1 Barcelona (Suárez, 44)
Jordi Alba pings a long pass from left-back over the high Granada defence and Luis Suárez sprints on to it before dinking the most delicious first-time clip over Ochoa who had rushed from his goal.
43 min Neymar tries a long pass over the top for Rakitic’s charging run, but there isn’t much space back there and Ochoa can come out to claim it.
41 min Rakitic takes a left-footed swipe from the edge of the box which loops over the bar.
39 min Neymar bends a near-identical free-kick as the one a couple of minutes ago, only this time from the right. Again it is Mathieu, again he is totally unmarked arriving near the penalty spot, and again he makes a mess of it, this time missing the ball completely before sliding in a heap on the ground.
37 min The striker who cried penalty, a story about Luis Suárez. Once again, he’s ignored.
36 min Neymar whips a stunning free-kick to the penalty spot but it falls to the wrong man – Mathieu – who manages to spoon the ball back away from goal and out of danger. Impressive.
34 min Barça run the ball down the left with Alba before switching it across to the right and eventually threading a pass through the middle for Suárez, who pushes away his marker before slamming a low shot against Ochoa’s legs. He wants a penalty for a tug as he struck the shot but referee Jaime Latre isn’t interested.
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32 min Alpácer tries a long-range crack but it’s wayward.
30 min Suárez, standing well offside, latches on to a loose ball when the onside Rakitic would have been through on goal had Suárez not got involved. The Barça pair flail annoyed arms at each other as they jog away.
28 min Sergi Roberto chops down Héctor trying to win the ball in the Granada box. Yellow card.
26 min What a save this is by Ochoa. First he stops a Suárez drive from the edge of the box and when the ball is delivered back into the striker he must score, surely, but is somehow denied by a sprawling Ochoa lying down in the six-yard box who pushes the shot wide.
23 min Suddenly Barça are caught a little open. Granada power forward via Artem Kravets but he dithers – and now it’s Barcelona breaking forwards. Neymar finds Suárez who stands on it before dinking a stunning chip on to the crossbar with Ochoa stranded and nowhere near. The ball rebounds for Neymar who volleys it home, but he was standing in an offside position and it won’t count.
21 min Foulquier powers down the right touchline past Alba but is adjudged to have fouled the Barça full-back. Another pretty marginal call and the home fans are getting agitated.
19 min Rakitic has his pocket picked by Angban in midfield and Granada look to break but the referee gives a peep of whistle for a push. Rakitic is a relieved man.
17 min Alcácer’s first touch is a deft header which releases Rakitic down the right side. He delivers a deep cross looking to find Neymar at the far post, but the Brazilian can’t do much on the stretch with the high ball and it runs off the pitch.
15 min Rafinha goes down holding his right leg. He gives the Barça bench the international signal for a substitution with a twirl of his fingers, and is replaced by Paco Alcácer.
14 min Barça are passing the ball around without any penetration. They haven’t got going yet.
11 min Busquets tries to find André Gomes with a 40-yard pass but it’s well overhit and runs out for a goal-kick.
9 min Dimitri Foulquier wants a throw-in deep in Barcelona’s half but the referee points the other way, angering the home support in the process. When Barça go back to Ter Stegen from the throw Granada pressure him, and win it back but they can’t fashion a chance from their first attack of the game.
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6 min Neymar springs to life, cutting in off the left and sliding a pass to Suárez in the box but Ochoa dashes off his line to smother at the striker’s feet.
4 min The TV money being split how it is in La Liga, Granada are penniless and their squad is made up primarily of loan players. One of those is Manchester United’s skilful Andreas Pereira, the 21-year-old Brazilian, although he may not see much of the ball tonight. Of the permanent players two are former Barça: David Lombán, the captain today, and the tricky winger Isaac Cuenca (remember him?) who starts on the bench.
2 min Rakitic lifts a cheeky chip over the Granada defence to Suárez but the striker is half a yard offside.
An early prediction from John McEnerney:
@lawrenceostlere FCB shud have 2 much of everything 4 the hosts but their flaky back4 will give LE some heart in the mouth moments. 0-3!
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) April 2, 2017
Kick-off!
A little delayed but the game is under way, Barcelona getting things moving in their away dark shirt with pink trim.
The players are in the tunnel. It’s nearly game time.
Valencia, by the way, are beating Deportivo 2-0 in the first half of their match tonight which would pretty much seal Valencia’s place in La Liga for another year, not an achievement they will be shouting about. Oh for the days of Gaizka Mendieta and Kily González!
Team news!
It’s a much depleted Barcelona tonight with Gerard Piqué not yet fit, Andrés Iniesta on the bench and Lionel Messi suspended. Here are our teams:
Granada: Guillermo Ochoa; Dimitri Foulquier, Matthieu Saunier, David Lombán, Gastón Silva; Héctor Hernández, Victorien Angban, Uche Agbo, Mubarak Wakaso, Andreas Pereira; Artem Kravets
Subs: Rui Silva, Sergi Samper, Adrian Rámos, Jérémie Boga, Isaac Cuenca, Sverrir Ingi Ingason, Pervis Estupiñán
Barcelona: Marc-André ter Stegen; Jordi Alba, Jérémy Mathieu, Javier Mascherano, Sergi Roberto; Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, André Gomes; Neymar, Luis Suárez, Rafinha
Subs: Jasper Cillessen, Denis Suárez, Andrés Iniesta, Paco Alcácer, Samuel Umtiti, Carles Aleñá
Preamble
This is the beginning of a critical six days in the La Liga title race. Barcelona face fourth-place Sevilla on Wednesday night before next Saturday’s Madrid derby. First, though, Barça must beat Granada to keep any hope of defending their title alive.
Real Madrid did their job earlier today with a 3-0 win over Alavés notable for Cristiano Ronaldo’s rare absence from the scoresheet and some wayward finishing by Alavés, who might well have pinched a draw on another day. Coming into tonight’s game Real lead Barça by five points having both played 28 matches.
For Granada, the game is almost up: 19th, on a three-game losing streak and eight points from safety, they are heading towards the drop without much of a fight. They spent much of last season in the drop zone before surviving by a point, but surely their six-year stay in the top flight is over and it would be one of the shocks of the season were they to pull of a victory at Los Cármenes tonight. It would bring Real Madrid a step closer to the title, too; Barça cannot afford any more mistakes.
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST (8.45pm local time)
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