FC Barcelona claims three points against a stubborn Málaga

The match between FC Barcelona and Malaga CF ended in a 1-2 victory for Barca at La Rosaleda, which was the end result of a hard fought duel, full of possibilities. Below, we will analyse the five key moments of this match of day 21 of the Liga BBVA.

Early Goal

Just a minute and a half in, FC Barcelona put itself ahead on the scoreboard and marked its territory, interestingly, in a foreign stadium. A weaving run, led by Luis Suárez, brought the ball into the area. Here, the Uruguayan got the finishing pass to Munir El Haddadi, who put it in the back of the net and put a point on the scoreboard right from the beginning.

A Fiery Malaga Manages to Equalise

The goal did not demoralize the Andalusians, who dug their heels in and, in some exchanges, came off as the superior team, better reading the game. Javi Gracia's boys made it into the area several times, making Barca's defense struggle, and, in the end, the tie came from the boots of Juanpi, with the help of Charles.

Javi Gracia's Blackboard

The Andalusian team's coach planned for his players to put the Catalans under pressure and he succeeded throughout the first half. Steeling chances all over the field and rattling Barcelona's nerves, he managed to minimise his rival's chances and kept the game open.

Leo Messi Strikes Again

The Argentinian scored his eleventh goal in La Liga BBVA after a long cross from Adriano right into the middle of the area. Messi slammed the ball into the back of the net and put Barcelona back into the lead. In the end, this strike ended up deciding the clash, giving his team the three points.

Excitement in the Final Minutes

Anything could have happened in the last stages of the match. Malaga had two clear chances that missed the goal and Messi could have increased the lead, had it not been for two key saves from goalkeeper Carlos Kameni.