It was derby day in Barcelona as Xavi’s side drew 1-1 against Espanyol on Saturday seeing a total of 17 cards handed out, including two reds.
Scorers: Alonso 7′; Joselu 73′ (P)
After a long World Cup, Barcelona returned to action for the first time since early November and after initially impressing dropped crucial points in the LaLiga title race.
Talisman Robert Lewandowski was available to play despite receiving a three-match ban, and Espanyol were furious with the decision before kick-off, reportedly almost boycotting the game.
Yet things went ahead as planned at Camp Nou, and the Polish striker proved to be of use when his free header helped the ball find Marcos Alonso and the game was 1-0 less than 10 minutes in.
At the other end, former Barcelona man Martin Braithwaite led the line yet the visitors struggled to truly threaten the hosts. Pedri, Gavi and Raphinha, meanwhile, pushed for a second goal though all their efforts fell short.
Coming out after the break, it remained a nervy contest as both sides looked for the next goal to hopefully change the game’s tune.
Then with less than 15 minutes to go, chaos ensued, and referee Matheu Lahoz played a key role in how things turned out.
Alonso went from hero to zero after he clipped the heel of Joselu in the box, and the striker sent his penalty straight down the middle as Marc-André Ter Stegen dove to his left.
Then immediately after, Lahoz eagerly awarded yellow cards galore after already handing out four in the first half. Barcelona subsequently went down to 10 men in the process as Jordi Alba was shown a second yellow for protesting.
Espanyol’s Vinicius Souza was then also sent off with a second yellow, and Leandro Cabrera was shown a straight red but VAR overturned the decision. Only 10 minutes separated the equaliser, the red cards and the VAR check.
The match was 10 against 10 in the final moments and the hosts went inches away from a late winner on two occasions only for Espanyol goalkeeper Fernández Llorente to stand strong.
In the end, the teams split the points 1-1 and 15 yellow cards were handed out alongside the two reds. The slip-up means Barcelona and Real Madrid are level on points at the top while Espanyol are 16th.
