It could have been a match of those that the Camp Nou is more than accustomed to witnessing. But Barcelona’s lack of good shootings, a less inspired Lionel Messi and a good performance from Spanish goalkeeper Jordi Masip have made things a bit more complicated for Barcelona, to the point of even leaving the game in danger.
In the first half, Boateng – who was the starter in order to Luiz Suarez to rest – missed an incredible chance. The Uruguayan, when he entered in the second half, managed to do worse than the one who left and lost several goals. The ball that secured the small win by 1-0 was charged by Lionel Messi, who shortly after that ended up missing a second chance of penalty.
The Argentine played a game well below what is expected of him, but nevertheless, managed to reach an important mark in the game. His goal became his 30th goal of the season, making him have 11 consecutive seasons scoring 30 or more goals. Besides that, he continues being the top scorer of La Liga, with 22 goals – which is 3 more than the whole team of Valladolid.
Although the performance has not been so good, the fact is that Barcelona remains the absolute leader of the championship. The team of Ernesto Valverde has reached the 54 points and has seven of advantage for the Altético Madrid, which is in second. On the other hand, Real Valladolid, with 26 points, is in 15th position – only three points away from the relegation zone.
The teams return to the field next week. Barcelona has an important Champions League clash against Lyon in France before playing the match against Sevilla on Saturday for the Spanish championship. Valladolid faces Real Betis on Sunday, trying to get more points and get out of this bad situation.