Barcelona failed to make up ground in the La Liga title race as they were held to a 1-1 draw with Valencia on Saturday evening.

Joao Felix tapped Barcelona ahead early in the second half but Xavi’s side were repeatedly frustrated by the excellent Giorgi Mamardashvili in the Valencia net.

Valencia were quiet in the second half but profited from a lapse in defensive concentration to snatch an equaliser through Hugo Guillamon, whose excellent goal extends Barcelona’s winless run to three games across all competitions.

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How the game unfolded

Barcelona had a major scare after just 90 seconds. With the defence not yet awake, a quick move down the left ended with a cut-back for Roman Yaremchuk, whose low drive brought an excellent stop out of Inaki Pena in the Barca net.

Robert Lewandowski scuffed a shot wide ten minutes later in an entertaining opening 15 minutes which saw both sides share possession and efforts on goal, and the Poland international also saw an acrobatic effort well parried by Mamardashvili on the half-hour mark.

Most of Barcelona’s opportunities came on the counter, with Joao Cancelo’s over-the-top passes causing all sorts of problems, but the finishing touch was often lacking. Lewandowski’s tame effort to chip the 6’6 Mamardashvili summed things up fairly well.

Barcelona found that missing spark ten minutes into the second half. An excellent pass from Frenkie de Jong found Raphinha in behind the defence, and the Brazilian’s cross presented Felix with an empty net to tap home the opening goal.

There was much more energy about Barcelona and Raphinha was next to test Mamardashvili with a fierce strike from a tight angle, but Valencia’s equaliser came out of nowhere with 20 minutes to go.

Hugo Guillamon had all the time in the world on the edge of the Barcelona box and bent a glorious effort into Pena’s top corner, leaving the stopper with no chance.

Mamardashvili denied Barcelona an immediate response with a save from point-blank range to stop Ferran Torres, before the goalkeeper combined with Yarek Gasiorowski for an unbelievable double-block to keep Raphinha out as the clock ticked into the final 10 minutes.

The visitors pushed and pushed for a winner but returned to their profligate ways in front of goal and were forced to accept a share of the spoils.

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Barcelona player ratings (4-3-3)

GK: Inaki Pena – 7/10 – A couple of good saves when Barcelona most needed them, including a crucial one early on to deny Yaremchuk. was powerless to stop Guillamon’s objective.

Joao Cancelo, RB: 7/10 A few absurd plays written. Usually, his long balls over the top were unstoppable and precise. I have no idea why he hasn’t accrued more assists.

CB: Ronald Araujo – 6/10 – A poor performance that was marred by his guilty decision to nod off during Guillamon’s goal.

CB: 5/10 for Jules Kounde endured a challenging first half but seemed to be coming into his own after the interval before a lapse in focus led to the equalizer.

LB: Alejandro Balde – 5/10 – Balde did not do well offensively. A truly disheartening passage.

DM: 7/10 Frenkie de Jong a lot of energy in the midfield. Buzzed around to regain control and attempt to initiate action. a fantastic pass that created the opening goal for his team. As the clock ran out, he lost his cool and was given an unnecessary yellow card for dissent, which will suspend him for the following game.

CM: Pedri – 7/10 – He really gave it his all when he joined De Jong in a more significant role. Some very beautiful playwriting.

CM: Ilkay Gundogan – 6/10 – Allowed to move forward and make an offensive effect. appeared in a few lovely locations but was unable to find the finishing touch.

RW: Raphinha – 6/10 – Put in a diligent but unimpressive performance, but he also scored Felix’s first goal with an incredible pass in the first half.

ST: 6/10 Robert Lewandowski Although he was obviously not playing at his best and made a few poor choices, Lewandowski was a constant presence and had the opportunity to score one or two more goals.

Joao Felix, LW: 7/10 Very quiet in the first half, but in the second half, he seemed inspired by his goal and became a serious threat.

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Substitutes

6/10 for SUB Ferran Torres (72′ for Felix)

SUB: Lamine Yamal (for Gundogan, 81′) – Not available

Diego Kochen, Ander Astralaga, Sergi Roberto, Pau Cubarsi, Hector Fort, Andreas Christensen, Oriol Romeu, Marc Casado, Fermin Lopez, and Marc Guiu were the substitutes who were not utilized.

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Manager

Xavi – 5/10 – Changed things at half-time and got some immediate results, but the same problems persisted for Barcelona and there was no answer after the equaliser.