Valenica 1-1 Barcelona: Joao Felix goal cancelled out by Hugo Guillamon as Barca drop more points in La Liga title race - Eurosport

Barcelona couldn't secure a victory and halted to a frantic 1-1 draw against Valencia at the Mestalla stadium. As a result, they still lag behind the current top team in the La Liga standings, Girona, by six points.

Xavi's team took the lead at the 55th minute mark as a result of a beautiful team play which led to Joao Felix scoring from a short distance after receiving the ball from Raphinha.

However, due to subpar defense and inefficient scoring, Hugo Guillamon had the opportunity to score high into the net during the 70th minute, resulting in an equalizer for Valencia. This was Guillamon's first start of the season and Valencia was likely entitled to the score.

Following their loss of 4-2 against Girona at their own stadium last week, as well as their 3-2 defeat to Antwerp during the UEFA Champions League in the middle of the week, there will be ongoing doubts about Barcelona's capability to compete for trophies this season.

The team who won last year's competition are currently situated in third position on the leaderboard with a total of 35 points after playing 17 matches. Their standing may change after Girona competes against Alaves on the upcoming Monday.

Real Madrid, currently in second place, are only two points behind the top spot. They have the chance to take over the lead before Girona plays their next game, as they face Villarreal at the Bernabeu on Sunday evening.

Is Barca Losing The Title Race?

Xavi urged his team to approach the game with the intensity of a final, but their performance left much to be desired. If they cannot rise to the occasion now, it is uncertain how they will fare in the future.

There's something off about Barcelona's performance currently. While they have many skilled and fast players, they inexplicably zone out during important parts of games.

A bad move that you learned to avoid in school is letting the ball bounce twice in the box after a hopeful cross and then just standing there while Hugo Guillamon scores the equalizer.

As the campaign reaches its halfway mark, Girona has taken a six-point lead leaving Barca in desperate need of a makeover or new acquisitions to have a shot at keeping their La Liga title.

Joao Felix The Star Player For Barcelona

There wasn't a standout player for Barca, however in a fast-paced game, Joao Felix completed the only remarkable move in a superb team goal for Barcelona in the beginning of the second half.

The home team had been a constant danger to the opposing team, but unfortunately, they were not able to make the most of their advantage by scoring more goals. Their inability to finish their scoring chances and defend their own goal contributed to their loss of points.

Valencia's football team played a game recently and their players received ratings from 6 to 8 out of 10. Mamardashvili, Thierry, Diakhaby, Mosquera, and Vázquez all received 7s. Pepelu got a 6, while Guillamon and Fran Pérez were given 8s. Yaremchuk, Diego Lopez and Hugo Duro all got 6s. Overall, Gasiorowski, Foulquier, Amallah, Marí and Canos were the substitutes and their ratings ranged from 6 to 7.

Barcelona played a match recently, and their goalkeeper, Inaki Pena, received a score of 6 out of 10. Their defender Cancelo got a score of 7, as did Araujo and Joao Felix. Kounde got a score of 6, while Balde, Pedri, and De Jong all got scores of 6 too. The midfielder Gündogan earned a score of 7, and the forward players Raphinha and Lewandowski both earned scores of 7 as well. The substitutes named Yamal and Torres got scores of 6 each.

Valencia had a fantastic start to the game but missed a goal opportunity as Roman Yaremchuk took a powerful shot towards the net. However, Iñaki Peña made an impressive save by diving to his left to stop the ball. Barcelona immediately felt the pressure from Valencia's strong start.

The Valencia goalkeeper made a remarkable save after Robert Lewandowski attempted an impressive volley from Gundogan's lobbed pass. However, Giorgi Mamardashvili managed to make a powerful stop and prevented the ball from entering the net.

At minute 55, Barca scored a goal! Joao Felix was the one who tapped the ball into the net, thanks to an amazing pass from De Jong to Raphinha, who ran with the ball and passed it across the goal. This was an excellent move by Barca and showed just how talented they are. As a result, they now have a 1-0 lead. This was a classic Barca play that fans will surely appreciate.

Valencia just scored a goal in the 70th minute, with Hugo Guillamón making an impressive run to the edge of Barcelona's box before unleashing a high shot into the back of the net. Inaki Pena had no chance of stopping it. This was Guillamón's first start of the season. Unfortunately, Barcelona's defense was all over the place, allowing the ball to bounce twice before the shot. It was an awful performance by them.

During the 75th minute, Barcelona had a great chance to take back the lead when Ferran Torres attempted a shot on target. However, Giorgi Mamardashvili blocked the shot with skill, keeping the score at 1-1. It was a missed opportunity for Barcelona as they should have scored.

According to the statistics provided by Opta, Barcelona has missed the highest number of big chances during both the first half (23) and the entire game (41) compared to other teams in the top five leagues in Europe.