UD Las Palmas v FC Barcelona: Tough test survived in Canary Islands (1-2)
Luis Enrique has often said of late that he’s wary of playing teams that are fighting for First Division survival. The recent trips to Levante and Sportingwere far from easy, and his team was also made to a lot harder than might have been expected to take three points from Saturday’s visit to Las Palmas.
Goal each for starters
With Busquets suspended and Piqué left at home, the Barça boss also opted to leave Ivan Rakitic on the bench, but a nevertheless fearsome starting eleven powered into the game. It took just six minutes for them to open the scoring. Jordi Alba picked outLuis Suárez to perfection and the latter smacked home his 26th league goal of the season.
Arsenal draw in FA Cup
Barça's Champions League rivals Arsenal were held 0-0 in the FA Cup fifth round by Championship leaders Hull City. Arsène Wenger chose to rest several key players, presumably with an eye on Tuesday's game. They’ll now have to play a replay, although it’s not clear exactly how the game is going to squeezed into what is already a tight schedule for the Gunners.
With the colours the teams were wearing, it almost looked like he’d just scored for Uruguay against Brazil. To add to the illusion, four minutes later Las Palmas were back level when their Brazilian strikerWilliam José converted a back-heeled assist from Jonathan Viera. Ten minutes gone and an electrifying game was back to all-square.
Neymar re-establishes lead
The goal fired up the home fans and although they were let off the hook after 27 minutes when Suárez nodded a simple header wide, the Canary Islanders responded well. Barça were not on top of this game.
That changed after 39 minutes thanks to a goal involving all three of the trident. Messi’s shot off a Suárez assist was parried away by keeper Javi Varas, but only as far as Neymar Jr. The Brazilian scored, and the Catalans would be taking a 2-1 lead into the dressing rooms at half-time.
Intense battle
Immediately after the restart Suárez was frustrated once again, slamming a perfect headed assist fromDani Alves straight at Varas. That wasn’t the last of the chances Barça couldn’t afford to waste against a Las Palmas team, led by the fleet-footed Viera, that showed little sign of flagging despite the game’s relentless pace.
As the minutes ticked by, Barça couldn’t kill of the game. Meanwhile, Las Palmas grew more and more hopeful of sneaking an invaluable point to boost their bid to avoid relegation, with former Barça B manSergio Araujo causing plenty of danger when he came on as a substitute.
The game remained intense right through to the final whistle, when Luis Enrique and Barça fans around the world breathed a huge sigh of relief. The six-point lead remains intact, and thoughts can now turn toArsenal and the return of the Champions League.
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