Barça fail to break through Leganés' wall and fall at home after a bad start (0-1)

The crisis in La Liga is noticeable. Barça have obtained 5 points from the last 18 played, but they were unable to beat Leganés at home. A bad start, in which the team from La Pepinera took the lead with a header from Sergio González, sealed the match. The 19 shots by the Blaugranas were of no use, as the good defensive work, the time wasting and the kicks of the visitors prevailed at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

FC Barcelona received Leganés in Alejandro Balde's 100th match. The Catalan club had the chance to take a breath in the standings, after Real Madrid's draw against Rayo Vallecano (3-3), although with pressure from Atlético, who managed to equal the leader on points after beating Getafe (1-0). For its part, the Catalans' rival had played 8 games away from home, but was unable to win any of them.

A defensive disconnection marks the game

The start could not have been worse for the Blaugrana. Their opponent struck first and did so very early. Óscar Rodríguez made a change of play that left Munir alone, who tried Iñaki Peña in a one-on-one, who sent the ball to the corner. The corner was taken by the passer of the previous play and finished off, completely unmarked, by Sergio González, who headed the ball in.

Leganés did not allow Barça to play comfortably. Their defensive block was very difficult to penetrate, but their constant tackles, several meritorious fouls that were not called, did not allow the Catalans to string together plays. Likewise, the visitors did everything possible to keep the play to a minimum. Lewandowski had a golden opportunity in the 10th minute, as he finished off a Raphinha pass alone in the six-yard box, but shot the dummy.

The Madrid team held out in a low block. The defenders shifted according to the direction of the ball, well positioned, while the midfielders dished out a lot of punishment. Such was the festival of kicks that Lamine Yamal, who received a kick from Neyou in the first 20 minutes, played the entire first half in discomfort. In this complex context, the team led, this matchday and next after Flick's suspension, by Marcus Sorg, was looking for the equaliser.

After half an hour of play, the players dressed in blue and red had two very important opportunities: first, with a shot from Raphinha in the area, after a cross from Balde, deflected by Dmitrovic and spat off the crossbar. Then, Lewandowski shot badly in a one-on-one after a splendid pass from Pedri.

What starts badly ends badly

Barça ended the first half very close to the rival goal, constantly besieging, although they did not get the reward. In the second half, the hosts' attitude continued to be ultra-offensive. The attacks continued, at the same time as the minutes were counted down on the clock and the anxiety of the culés grew, having taken 5 of the last 15 points.

With 70 minutes already played, the Blaugrana team was absolutely desperate. They had all the possession and did not stop attacking, but Leganés defended with all their men. There were no gaps in the centre, neither to access nor to finish a cross, which made the incursions down the wings less valuable. Koundé had the first clear chance of the second half, with a shot in the area after a backheel pass from Ferran, but the Frenchman's shot went just wide.

Despite trying until the last tenth of a second, the culés left the pitch without managing to open their area of ​​the scoreboard. They did not take advantage of Real Madrid's slip-up, which remains one point behind with a game in hand. In addition, Atlético, the next opponent, ended the day alongside Barça in first place, with a game in hand, reaching 38 points.

Match details

• FC Barcelona, 0: Iñaki Peña; Koundé, Eric García (Cubarsí, min. 74), Iñigo Martínez, Balde; Casadó (Pau Víctor, min. 79), Pedri; Lamine (Gavi, min. 74), Dani Olmo (Fermín, min. 66), Raphinha; and Lewandowski (Ferran, min. 66).
• Leganés, 1: Dmitrovic; Altimira, Jorge Sáenz, Sergio González, Javi Hernández; Tapia (Brasanac, 45+ 2), Neyou; Munir (Nastasic, min. 59), Cissé (Raba, min. 82), Óscar Rodríguez; and De la Fuente (Diego García, min. 59).
• Goals: 0-1 Sergio González (min. 4).
• Referee: Quintero González (Andalusian committee). Showed the yellow card to the visitors Cissé and Javi Hernández.