Real Valladolid sent shockwaves throughout La Liga with a 1-0 win over La Liga champions Barcelona on Saturday.
The only goal of the match arrived after 17 minutes when Fausto Rossi converted from inside the box, with Barcelona struggling to find their rhythm throughout the contest.
The result moved the home side out of the relegation zone in Spain's leading division, while Barcelona remain a point behind leaders Real Madrid, who have a game in hand.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.
Match statistics
Valladolid
Shots: 7
On target: 2
Possession: 25%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 15
Barcelona
Shots: 13
On target: 6
Possession: 75%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 14
Was the result fair?
On the balance of play and taking into account the statistics, Barcelona might feel that they deserved to take something from the match this afternoon. However, the Catalan outfit really struggled to create clear opportunities and too often relinquished possession in forward areas. It wasn't exactly an attacking masterclass from the hosts, but they defended impressively in the latter stages under aerial siege from the champions.
Valladolid's performance
Valladolid's record of just three home defeats this season is one of the strongest in the bottom half of the table, but too many nervy performances have brought draws rather than wins at the Zorrilla. However, that was not the case this afternoon. From the very first minute they went after Barcelona and deservedly took the lead, albeit via a lucky break inside the box. It was largely a defensive task from that moment forward, but they held on to secure a famous win and breathe fresh life into their battle to remain in the division.
Barcelona's performance
Slow, untidy and laboured are all words that could be used to describe Barcelona's performance. As expected, they dominated possession throughout the 90 minutes, but simply failed to cause Valladolid enough problems in the final third. Even in the final 20 minutes when the pressure increased, the majority of their half-chances arrived from efforts outside the box and deep crosses from wide positions. Attacking trio Lionel Messi, Neymar and Pedro all struggled to influence proceedings, while their defence also had a number of nervy moments, which has been common in recent weeks.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Fausto Rossi: It was the Italian's first-half goal that secured all the points for Valladolid, but that is not the sole reason why he has gained this accolade. The midfielder just did not stop running this afternoon with his all-action display in the middle of the park forcing Barcelona to lose possession on a number of occasions. When needed, Rossi was also calm and composed in possession of the ball.
Biggest gaffe
Barcelona's best chance of the match fell to Neymar just before the hour mark following a sharp move outside the Valladolid box. However, under no pressure, the Brazilian blazed his effort high and wide of the crossbar. He netted a hat-trick for his country during the week, but it was another tentative display from the youngster for his club side.
Referee performance
Overall, neither manager will have had too many complaints about the performance of Alejandro Hernandez at the Zorrilla. The Spanish official issued six yellow cards during the contest, five of which came for Valladolid, but there could be little argument about them due to a number of late challenges. It was a feisty encounter, but Hernandez was prepared to let the match flow in the correct areas.
What next?
Valladolid: Valladolid's battle to remain in La Liga continues next weekend when they travel to the Estadio Ramon to face Sevilla.
Barcelona: The Catalan outfit are in Champions League last-16 action against Manchester City on Wednesday, with the Spanish outfit holding a 2-0 lead from the first leg in Manchester.
Matt Law
