Ter Stegen is up… Messi takes the free-kick… but it swings straight to the Granada goalkeeper, and that is game over!
90' +4
Adrián Marín gets yellow.
Marin gets a booking for a foul on Messi. Here's a chance for Barca to get a quality delivery into the area...
90' +1
There will be four minutes of added time. Is there set to be one final twist?
89'
Germán Sánchez gets yellow.
More frustration for Barca, as Dembele takes a tumble 25 yards out, under pressure from a defender. The referee is not fooled, and awards a free-kick Granada’s way, though Sanchez does get a booking for asking for Dembele to be cautioned.
88'
Excellent work from Sanchez, who not only manages to stretch to clear a cross, but also draws a foul from Pique in the process, relieving the pressure on Granada’s defence.
86'
Fede Vico enters the game and replaces L. Suárez.
Another change for Granada, and Suarez takes his time going off to wind down the clock. Vico is the player who comes on.
83'
Trincao has his first attempt, but it is blocked at source. Barca are getting desperate now. This is a massive opportunity which seems set to pass them by!
81'
Trincão enters the game and replaces Sergio Busquets.
Barca respond with another change – Trincao replacing Busquets. It's time to throw everything forward, but Granada have defended brilliantly so far.
80'
Barca’s players look stunned. Have they thrown away the chance to move top?
Minute
Description
79'
Jorge Molina has scored a goal for Granada! Assist by Adrián Marín.
GOOOOAAALLL!!! GRANADA GO AHEAD! What a turnaround this is! A cross from the left is met by Molina, and the veteran campaigner diverts a wonderful header across Ter Stegen to make it Barca 1-2 Granada, with just over 10 minutes remaining.
It’s two substitutes who have combined for that Granada goal. Marin crossed it in, and Molina delivered the finishing touch.
76'
Time for a Granada change, as their goalscorer Machis makes way, with Marin on.
75'
Adrián Marín enters the game and replaces D. Machís.
Barca win a succession of corners, with Dembele quickly getting himself involved. However, Granada see off the pressure, with Umtiti eventually sending a poor header out of play.
72'
Pedri enters the game and replaces I. Moriba.
O. Dembélé enters the game and replaces Óscar Mingueza.
Ilaix has also gone off, with Pedri on in his place.
Two changes for Barca. First, Mingueza, who was partly at fault for Granada's equaliser, makes way for Dembele.
69'
Barca’s high line is giving Granada plenty of space to exploit in behind, and the visitors are certainly doing that on the counter as the Blaugrana press forward in search of a goal to get themselves back in front.
65'
It’s game well and truly on at Camp Nou, and the onus is all on Barca to get back ahead and take top spot in LaLiga. Fans of Real Madrid, Atleti and Sevilla will all be behind Granada right now!
63'
D. Machís has scored a goal for Granada!
GOOOOOAAALLLL!!! GRANADA ARE LEVEL! Well, they have stayed in the game and now they have struck, and it’s Machis who has got the goal. Mingueza failed to deal with a loose ball and the Granada forward, who had got the better of Roberto, was on hand to get on the end of it and squeeze a finish beyond Ter Stegen. It’s 1-1!
61'
Jorge Molina enters the game and replaces Soldado.
M. Gonalons enters the game and replaces Y. Eteki.
Gonalons is also on in midfield, replacing Eteki.
Here's the first changes, and it is Granada who make them. Molina is on in place of Soldado.
Just over an hour played at Camp Nou and, for all Barca’s dominance, Granada are still very much in this game.
58'
Slick play from Barca. First, Messi and De Jong combine to slip in Roberto, but his cross is cleared. Busquets then pings a brilliant pas through the lines, but Roberto can’t quite stretch far enough to make contact.
56'
Barca have managed to gain a foothold since that chance for Granada, and are controlling the ball right on the edge of the visitors’ box. They click through the gears with a long ball over for Roberto to chase. He gets there, but his cross is again cut out by a defender.
52'
Over! Messi feeds De Jong, who plays a wonderful first-time cross over to Roberto. The full-back tries to cushion a volley into the top corner, but gets it all wrong, sending it way over the crossbar.
46'
Granada get the second half underway.
45' +1
HALF-TIME: BARCELONA 1-0 GRANADA.
45'
Another fantastic run from De Jong gets Barca on the front foot. He finds Messi, who plays a crisp, first-time pass into Ilaix. The youngster just hesitated on the edge of the area, though, allowing Machis to get back.
43'
N. Pérez gets yellow.
A booking for Perez who, having let Messi run past him, had little choice but to haul the Barca skipper back.
40'
Great defending from Umtiti, who shows fantastic recovery pace to skip across and deny Soldado. His slide tackle results in a deflection which wrong foots Ter Stegen, but the ball ends up safely in the side netting.
31'
Barca go short from a free-kick, causing havoc for Granada’s defence. Roberto gets down the right and tries to square it to a team-mate, but his pass is behind a glut of Barca players, and Granada escape unscathed.
29'
De Jong makes a great, surging run down the right and lays it off to the onrushing Messi. For once, his touch is just a bit too heavy, and the 33-year-old can’t get a shot off before a defender is across to block it.
23'
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by A. Griezmann.
Griezmann has really rediscovered his best form as of late and that was a fantastic bit of skill from the former Atletico Madrid star.
GOAL! Barca lead, and who else would it be?! Messi nets for the 26th time in LaLiga this season, and it was a wonderful move. He played it into Griezmann, who turned clear of his marker and played a neat throughball into Messi’s path. The Argentine got his head down, and guided a brilliant finish across Escandell. It’s 1-0 Barca!
20'
Soldado gets yellow.
Soldado collects the first booking of the match, having fouled Griezmann.
16'
Clever play from Soldado, who relieves some pressure by backing into a defender and drawing a foul. Experienced centre-forward play.
12'
It has been a rather scrappy start. Barca are getting plenty of the ball but so far, bar that half-chance for Alba, haven’t been able to fashion an opening, with Granada’s defence content to sit deep in a bank of five.
5'
Ilaix wins a free-kick which Barca attempt to work into the area, but Foulquier is on hand to intervene, albeit he does appear to pull a muscle while doing so.
3'
Barca start as they mean to go on, controlling possession and instantly probing their way through the thirds. It is eventually worked into Ilaix down the left, but the teenager can’t quite get it back to Alba, and Granada finally get the ball.
1'
KICK-OFF! Barca captain and talisman Messi gets this clash up and running!
Having won the Copa del Rey, Barca are now well in the midst of what is suddenly a four-way battle for the league title. Ronald Koeman’s team have won their last two games since losing to Real Madrid, beating Getafe 5-2 and Villarreal 2-1.
Welcome to live coverage of LaLiga, as Barcelona look to move to the top of the table, though they must first defeat Granada.
Granada, meanwhile, sit down in eighth place, and they may still harbour slim hopes of a European finish, albeit they would really have to win today to put themselves in trye contention.
BARCELONA (3-1-4-2): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Oscar Mingueza, Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti; Sergio Busquets; Sergi Roberto, Frenkie de Jong, Ilaxi Moriba, Jordi Alba; Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann.
BARCELONA SUBS: Sergino Dest, Ronald Araujo, Miralem Pjanic, Ousmane Dembele, Riqui Puig, Neto, Clement Lenglet, Pedri, Trincao Junior Firpo, Konrad De la Fuente, Arnau Tenas.
GRANADA SUBS: Domingos Quina, Sergio Barcia, Adrian Marin, Maxime Gonalons, Arnau Fabrega, Alberto Soro, Jorge Molina, Joao Costa, Fede Vico.
GRANADA (3-4-3): Aaron Escandell; Nehuen Perez, German Sanchez, Victor Diaz; Dimitri Foulquier, Yangel Herrera, Yan Eteki, Quini; Luis Suarez, Roberto Soldado, Darwin Machis.
The teams are out onto the pitch at Camp Nou which, of course, is still unfortunately devoid of fans as Spain, like the rest of Europe, continues to battle against the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a huge game in the title race, with Barca needing to take advantage of this match in hand!
Messi missed a great chance to make it 2-0, and Barca will be looking to put the game to bed early in the second half and send themselves to the top of LaLiga heading into the weekend.
That’s all for now. Goodbye!
Barca had won all of their home LaLiga matches against Granada before today, but that record has now bitten the dust, and the Blaugrana remain third, a point above Sevilla, level with Madrid, and two behind Atleti with four games remaining.
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