History repeated itself as Deportivo came back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Barcelona at the Camp Nou, spoiling Barcelona’s Club World Cup send-off.
In last season’s fixture between the two teams at the Camp Nou, coming in the final week of the season, Barcelona jumped out to a two-goal lead only to see Deportivo rally late with two goals to claim a precious point that kept them in the first division.
On Saturday it was Lionel Messi and Ivan Rakitic giving Barcelona lead heading into the final 15 minutes, only for the Galicians to mount another comeback to earn a point.
With Neymar out injured, manager Luis Enrique elected to slot in Sandro up top with Messi and Luis Suárez, while the rest of the team shaped up as nprmal with Rakitic, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets in midfield, and a defense of Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba in front of goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
The two teams traded chances in the first 15 minutes, after Suarez fired wide in the fifth minute after good work from Sandro and then 10 minutes later Bravo saving a shot from Lucas, who would prove to be a thorn in the side of the Barcelona defense all evening long.
Barcelona had the bulk of possession, but were missing the decisive pass in the final third. Meanwhile, Deportivo were content to stay patient in defense and look to seize upon any Barcelona lapse to launch a counterattack.
But for all their solidity in the back, there was nothing they could do to prevent Messi from opening the scoring in the 39th minute. A free kick about 10 yards outside the area was taken by the Argentine, who brilliantly curled in a left-footer past Lux to hand Barcelona a 1-0 lead.
Sandro was presented with a chance to double the lead in the 52nd minute after Suárez did beautifully well to evade three Depor defenders and play a cutback pass to the middle of the area, but Sandro reacted late and the Depor defense cleared.
Similar to the first half, Depor went toe-to-toe with their Catalonian opponents, but Barcelona’s individual quality was the difference, exhibited again in the 62nd minute when
Rakitic collected a pass from Messi and lasered in a long-distance shot that went screaming past Lux to make it a 2-0 game.
Deportivo refused to give up though, and nearly halved the deficit in the 75th minute when Miguel Cardoso’s deflected shot bounced off the crossbar. The rebound fell right to Lucas, who headed in, but the linesman flag was raised to annul the goal.
But three minutes later Lucas would get his goal as Cardoso slipped a pass to the La Coruña native who swept a shot in past Bravo to make it 2-1 and a nervy final quarter hour in the Camp Nou.
The action was frantic, with Munir spurning a chance in the 81st minute after Lux deflected an Alves shot and then Deportivo peppering Bravo’s net with a slew of chances that went begging.
Finally, in the 86th minute, Barcelona were made to pay for their apathy and carelessness as Deportivo drew level through Álex Bergantiños, who gathered in a pass from Lucas off a counterattack, and rifled past Bravo, much to the despair of the home fans.
A late winner was not to be had by either side as Barcelona now embark for the Club World Cup on the back of three consecutive draws.
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