La Liga Gameweek 22
Feb 2, 2019 5.30pm
2
2
HT : 1 2
FT Camp Nou (Barcelona)
  • Sergi Roberto 31' yellowcard
  • Lionel Messi 39' goal
  • Ivan Rakitic 45' yellowcard
  • Lionel Messi 64' goal
  • Jordi Alba 90' yellowcard
  • goal Kevin Gameiro 24'
  • goal Dani Parejo 32'

Live Commentary: Barcelona 2-2 Valencia - as it happened

Barcelona 2-2 Valencia - as it happened

Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Valencia in Saturday night's entertaining La Liga contest at Camp Nou.

Goals from Kevin Gameiro and Dani Parejo had sent Valencia 2-0 ahead in Catalonia, but Messi netted once in either half to ensure that Barcelona would take a point from the clash.

Read how it all unfolded in Sports Mole's minute-by-minute live commentary of the action below.

7.28pmSo there we have it. The referee brings the second period to a close with the spoils being shared. Valencia led 2-0 at Camp Nou, but Barcelona hit back with a double from Messi. What a brilliant game of football in Spain's top flight. Thanks for joining our live coverage once again!

FULL TIME:  

90+3 minBARCELONA 2-2 VALENCIA

90+3 minValencia are running the clock down with possession inside Barcelona's half here.

90+2 minWe are into the second of two additional minutes. It looks to be a draw here.

YELLOW CARD!  

90+1 minAlba (Barcelona) is booked for a foul on Mina.

90 minAlba finds space in a dangerous area and looks to strike towards goal, but Garay is across to make the challenge. The pass from Messi to set up the opportunity was just excellent.

88 minMalcom has been heavily involved since entering the field, but Valencia are defending well at the moment as they hold strong. Little over two minutes of normal time remaining at Camp Nou.

CLOSE!  

86 minLuis Suarez has a close-range shot deflected wide of the Valencia post.

84 minBARCELONA SUB! Malcom replaces Coutinho for Barcelona.

82 min... Parejo's free kick is straight into the wall. Disappointing.

82 minValencia have a free kick in a dangerous area as Pique fells Mina...

SAVE!  

81 minComfortable save for Ter Stegen to deny Mina.

80 minVALENCIA SUB! Mina replaces Rodrigo for the away side.

SAVE!  

79 minRodrigo makes Ter Stegen do some work with a long-range strike.

78 minValencia break and have the chance to work something into the Barcelona box, but the space eventually closes and Los Che are just happy to keep the ball outside of their own half.

77 minValencia are preparing to make their third change and it will be Santi Mina.

75 minLittle over 15 minutes of the second period remaining and you have to think that the next goal would be the winner. Valencia continue to come under serious pressure here.

SHOT!  

73 minCoutinho misses the post with a free kick from distance. Meanwhile, Messi has returned to the field and seems to be moving okay, for the moment. One to keep an eye on.

72 minVALENCIA SUB! Kondogbia replaces Coquelin for the away side.

72 minMessi continues to receive treatment on the touchline.

71 minMessi is just having some treatment on his groin here.

71 minA point would not be the worst result in the world for Barcelona considering the circumstances, but they have the best part of 20 minutes to find a potential winner here.

69 minAnyone for the Messi hat-trick? It is almost as if you know that it is coming. Valencia are against the ropes at the moment as Barcelona continue to force the issue.

67 minBARCELONA SUB! Arthur replaces Alena for the home side.

65 minAll square! Barcelona level the scores as Messi finds the bottom corner with a wonderful effort from the edge of the box. It is another sensational strike from the Argentine here.

GOAL!  

64 minBARCELONA 2-2 VALENCIA (MESSI)

CHANCE!  

64 minRodrigo turns a Cheryshev cross just wide of the post!

CLOSE!  

64 minMessi and Luis Suarez combine in a dangerous position, but the former heads wide of the post. Not sure that the Argentine should be winning a header inside the box!

CHANCE!  

62 minGabriel heads a Parejo cross just over the Barcelona crossbar!

CHANCE!  

61 minRodrigo manages to dart into the Barcelona box following a quick break, but the striker cannot find a route past Ter Stegen. That is more like it from the away side here.

61 minRodrigo is ahead of the ball for Valencia, but that is about it. The away side are defending well, but surely they will need to score again to stand a chance of winning this match.

59 minI suspect that we will see Arthur at some point in this match. Coutinho has not performed too well thus far and Malcom is another option, although he has not done too much this season.

SAVE!  

57 minIt is attack versus defence at the moment. But Rakitic's strike from distance is easily gathered by Neto, who has been excellent but very busy in the first 58 minutes here.

OFF THE POST!  

55 minAlena sees his cross deflected onto the post!

55 minValencia are very, very deep at the moment as Barcelona continue to force the issue. Nothing from the away side going forward in the second half and there is still a long time to go.

SAVE!  

53 minAnother super save from Neto to keep out a long-range Alena strike!

51 minPass, pass, pass from Barcelona as they look to work a shooting position. Not an awful lot from Valencia in the early stages of the second period. Los Che are very deep here.

SAVE!  

49 minExcellent save from Neto to keep out a curling Messi effort!

49 minI would be very, very surprised if we had seen the last of the goals tonight. The onus is on Barcelona to force the issue, which will give Valencia some counter-attacking chances.

47 min... BARCELONA SUB! Alba has replaced Semedo at the break.

KICKOFF:  

46 minBarcelona resume the action here...

6.32pmBENCH WATCH! Boateng, Alba, Arthur and Malcom are among those on the Barcelona bench tonight. Valencia, meanwhile, have already been forced into a change with Torres taking the place of Gameiro, who picked up a head injury. That said, Kondogbia, Mina and Soler are still in reserve.

6.27pmSTATISTICS! Barcelona had 69% of the ball in the first period, managing three shots on target from eight attempts. Valencia, meanwhile, hit the target with four of their seven attempts. Two yellow cards to report, with Roberto and Rakitic both in the book for the hosts Barcelona.

6.22pmSo there we have it. The referee brings the first period to a close with Valencia leading Barcelona 2-1 at the break. It has been an incredible half of football. Goals from Gameiro and Parejo sent Valencia two goals ahead, but Messi struck from the penalty spot to make it a 2-1 match ahead of the second half. More of the same in the second 45 minutes of action please.

HALF TIME:  

45+4 minBARCELONA 1-2 VALENCIA

SHOT!  

45+3 minRakitic fires harmlessly wide of the Valencia post.

45+3 minWass and Cheryshev collide inside the Barcelona box as the home side survive another dangerous moment. Barcelona then break but the away side have players back.

YELLOW CARD!  

45+2 minRakitic (Barcelona) is booked for a foul on Parejo.

45+1 minWe are into the first of three added minutes at the end of the first period.

CHANCE!  

45 minMessi somehow misses a close-range volley from a Rakitic pass!

OFF THE POST!  

44 minRoberto hits the post from inside the Valencia box!

43 minPossession football from Barcelona at the moment as they look to work the ball into a shooting position. This has been an excellent first 43 minutes of football at Camp Nou.

41 minVALENCIA SUB! Torres replaces Gameiro for the away side.

40 minMessi sends the ball past Neto to make it a 2-1 game!

PENALTY!  

39 minBARCELONA 1-2 VALENCIA (MESSI, PEN)

38 minIt looked very, very soft. Barcelona actually had the ball in the back of the net through Messi moments later, but the whistle had already been blown. Messi will take the spot kick.

PENALTY!  

37 minBarcelona have a penalty as Semedo goes down under a challenge from Latorre!

37 minGameiro clashed with Pique, which required both players to have treatment, and the Frenchman does not look too happy. A change will surely have to be made here.

37 minValencia have drawn too many league games this season, but have only lost four times. Barcelona have a real task on their hands to turn this one around. That said, Valencia might lose Gameiro as the striker looks to be struggling with a head injury here.

35 minAtletico Madrid will be loving this result at the moment. Indeed, if Barcelona lose and Atletico win their league game this weekend then the gap will be down to two points at the top.

33 minParejo sends the ball past Ter Stegen for 2-0 Valencia!

GOAL!  

32 minBARCELONA 0-2 VALENCIA (PAREJO, PEN)

YELLOW CARD!  

31 minRoberto (Barcelona) is booked for bundling into the back of Wass!

PENALTY!  

31 minValencia have a penalty as Roberto brings Wass to the ground!

31 minLittle under 15 minutes of the first period remaining and Pique should be fine to continue, although he might have to change his shirt as there is some blood present. Barcelona continue to dominate the ball, but they just cannot unlock the Valencia defence at the moment.

29 minPique has a problem for Barcelona following an aerial challenge with Gameiro.

SAVE!  

27 minWonderful save from Neto to prevent Garay turning a Coutinho cross into the back of his own net! Excellent goalkeeping from the number 13 there!

27 minPass, pass, pass from Barcelona since they fell behind here.

25 minBreakthrough! Valencia take the lead in the 24th minute as they break clear on the counter before Rodrigo feeds Gameiro and the striker smashes into the bottom corner!

GOAL!  

24 minBARCELONA 0-1 VALENCIA (GAMEIRO)

21 minJust a reminder that a win for Barcelona tonight would move them eight points clear at the top of the table. Valencia have only lost four league matches this term, however, and have already shown that they will cause issues tonight. Barcelona remain on the front foot at the moment.

19 minI would be astounded if there were not goals tonight as both teams continue to force the issue. Barcelona are very much on the front foot at the moment though and Neto has been busy in the last few minutes. It has been a very good first 19 minutes of football here.

SAVE!  

17 minNeto has to palm a Roberto cross just over the crossbar!

SAVE!  

16 minSmart save from Neto to keep out a long-range Coutinho strike.

15 minPass, pass, pass from Barcelona as they work the ball into dangerous positions. Semedo has the chance to cross from a dangerous area, but Cheryshev is back to make the challenge.

SHOT!  

13 minMessi curls a low effort just wide of the Valencia post.

13 minWell, still goalless with 13 minutes on the clock but there is plenty happening at the moment as Barcelona dominate the ball while Valencia wait for their chance to counter-attack.

11 minNo penalty. To be honest it would have been very harsh.

PENALTY APPEAL!  

10 minGabriel appears to save a Semedo strike. Penalty? Doesn't seem to be!

SHOT!  

9 minWass finds Parejo just inside the Barcelona box, but the midfielder scoops his effort over the crossbar. Valencia are enjoying some very good moments early on here.

SAVE!  

8 min... Neto keep out Messi's free kick.

8 minBarcelona have a free kick in a dangerous area as Cheryshev fells Alena...

8 minAll Barcelona in terms of possession at the moment, with Messi seeing more and more of the ball. Coutinho and Alena have also been heavily involved in the last few minutes here.

6 minPlenty happening at the moment, with Barcelona responding well. Messi and Coutinho have both driven into the Valencia box and only been denied by last-ditch challenges.

CHANCE!  

4 minOh my word! Huge moment! Valencia have a wonderful chance on the break as Wass feeds Parejo, but the midfielder's effort is saved by Ter Stegen. The ball falls for Cheryshev and his effort smashes off the post! Huge let-off for Barcelona, the home side should be behind here.

SAVE!  

3 minTer Stegen has to gather a long-range effort from Parejo.

2 min... Valencia have come to play tonight, there is no question about that. Indeed, Rodrigo and Gameiro start as the front two, while Cheryshev is not exactly the most defensive of wingers. As for Barcelona, it is the expected 4-3-3, with Sergi Roberto starting at left-back.

KICKOFF:  

0 minValencia kick things off at Camp Nou...

5.29pmHere we go then; both sets of players are on the pitch and kickoff is just moments away. Can Valencia do the likes of Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid a favour tonight? Stay tuned to find out.

5.28pmAs for Valencia, Jose Gaya and Goncalo Guedes are both on the treatment table. Geoffrey Kondogbia and Santi Mina are both left on the bench, meanwhile, with Kevin Gameiro joining Rodrigo Moreno in attack and Francis Coquelin starting in central midfield. Daniel Wass and Denis Cheryshev will feature in the wide positions for the former Spanish champions.

5.27pmSergio Busquets misses out for Barcelona tonight through suspension, while Jordi Alba, Arthur and Clement Lenglet are left on the bench by head coach Ernesto Valverde. As a result, there are starts for Nelson Semedo, Thomas Vermaelen, Carles Alena and Arturo Vidal, but it is the expected front three as Philippe Coutinho joins Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. Ousmane Dembele again misses out for the hosts with an ankle problem that he sustained last month.

5.26pmTEAMS! BARCA: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Vermaelen, Semedo; Alena, Vidal, Rakitic; Coutinho, L Suarez, Messi VALENCIA: Neto; Piccini, Garay, Paulista, Lato; Wass, Coquelin, Parejo, Cheryshev; Gameiro, Rodrigo

5.25pmGood evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of the La Liga clash between Barcelona and Valencia from Camp Nou. A win for Barcelona tonight would see the reigning champions move eight points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid at the top of the table. Valencia have only won six of their 21 league matches this season, but have suffered just four defeats, with a total of 29 points leaving them in eighth position as things stand. Stay tuned for live updates from Camp Nou!
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