Barcelona v Granada Live Commentary & Result, 20/09/2021, Primera División

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	RMA Real Madrid	38	26	8	4	80	31	+49	86	D D W L W
2	BAR Barcelona	38	21	10	7	68	38	+30	73	L D W W W
3	ATM Atlético Madrid	38	21	8	9	65	43	+22	71	W D W W L
4	SEV Sevilla	38	18	16	4	53	30	+23	70	W D D D D
5	BET Real Betis	38	19	8	11	62	40	+22	65	D W W L D
6	RSO Real Sociedad	38	17	11	10	40	37	+3	62	L W W L D
7	VIL Villarreal	38	16	11	11	63	37	+26	59	W L W D L
8	ATH Athletic Club	38	14	13	11	43	36	+7	55	L W L D W
9	VAL Valencia	38	11	15	12	48	53	-5	48	W D L D D
10	OSA Osasuna	38	12	11	15	37	51	-14	47	L L D D D
11	CEL Celta de Vigo	38	12	10	16	43	43	0	46	L W L W D
12	RAY Rayo Vallecano	38	11	9	18	39	50	-11	42	L L L D D
13	ELC Elche	38	11	9	18	40	52	-12	42	W L L L D
14	ESP Espanyol	38	10	12	16	40	53	-13	42	D D L D L
15	GET Getafe	38	8	15	15	33	41	-8	39	L D D D D
16	MLL Mallorca	38	10	9	19	36	63	-27	39	W W D L L
17	CAD Cádiz	38	8	15	15	35	51	-16	39	W D L W D
18	GRA Granada	38	8	14	16	44	61	-17	38	D L W W D
19	LEV Levante	38	8	11	19	51	76	-25	35	W W L W D
20	ALA Deportivo Alavés	38	8	7	23	31	65	-34	31	L L W L W

It's a busy week for Barca, then, as they now prepare to visit Cadiz in three days' time. On this evidence they have plenty of room to improve. That's all for now. Goodbye!

The draw lifts Barca to 7th in La Liga with eight points from their first four games. Although Koemen's men were far from convincing, this is still their best start to a season for a few years and they may well see this as one point gained rather than two lost. Granada rise to 14th. If they keep showing grit like they did here they'll start picking up wins soon enough.

Granada hold Barcelona to a draw in a game bookended by two goals. After going 1-0 up very early on Granada had little interest in attacking with the home side dominating possession. The visitors largely held Barca at bay until Araujo salvaged a point for the hosts late on.

90' + 7' FULL-TIME: BARCELONA 1-1 GRANADA

90' + 5' Machis draws a free-kick from Garcia down the left, giving Granada the opportunity to regain the lead. Montoro swings it in and Machis can't get his effort on target. Barca get the ball away. Pique fouls German in Granada's half, and that's that!

Piqué

Yellow Card

90' + 3' Pique's next in the book for a bad challenge on Duarte. This game is ending with a rash of yellow cards.

C. Bacca

Yellow Card

90' + 2' The referee comes across to the bench and cautions the Granada substitute Bacca for goading Barca's staff.

90' + 1' There'll be six more minutes of this. It's all getting rather ill-tempered now.

Gavi

Assist

90' It's a great moment for the teenager Gavi who's come into a high-pressure situation. There's a big roar around Camp Nou as Barca realise they may yet win this game.

R. Araujo

Goal

90' GOAL! BARCELONA 1-1 GRANADA! Barca finally force an equaliser. Araujo has had several chances to score with his head in this game and buries this one, finding the bottom right corner from Gavi's cross.

Quini

Yellow Card

88' Quini is shown a yellow card for his part in the ruckus. Less of that please.

R. Araujo

Yellow Card

88' Araujo takes a tumble in the penalty area under the weight of German's challenge. The referee cautions him for diving instead of awarding a penalty. Granada are unhappy and there's a bit of a tussle!

Monchu

Yellow Card

87' Monchu is shown the yellow card for a poor challenge on Puig. Granada are holding firm.

Luís Maximiano

Yellow Card

86' Maximiano gets a booking for taking too long to take the goal-kick. Granada are winding down the clock as best they possibly can.

85' Dest looks for Depay on the overlap only to play a poor pass to the Dutchman. Dest has been in the thick of the action for Barca here. Unfortunately for them he hasn't been all that effective.

83' Pigue gets a header off from Mingueza's cross but finds a Granada player in the way. Puig pushes over Monchu, handing Granada a timely free-kick. The visitors are just about holding Barca at arm's length.

81' Dest finds the head of Araujo who forces Maximiano to stop his header from finding the top right corner. Pique is playing as a makeshift target man as he does from time to time.

79' Barca are piling players forward now as Quini gives them another corner. Luuk de Jong gets on the end of Depay's ball into the six-yard box but can't keep his header down! He has his head in his hands. He knows that was a big chance.

Germán Sánchez

L. Abram

78' Granada make a substitution now. Abram off. German takes his place at centre-back.

Óscar Mingueza

Yellow Card

77' Mingueza's shown a yellow card for a foul throw. Barca's right-back is as perplexed as everyone else is at that decision.

Piqué

Y. Demir

75' Demir is next off. Pique comes on. It's a strange change with Barca still behind unless they're planning a change of system.

Riqui Puig

Sergio Busquets

74' Both changes will be by Barca. Busquets makes way for Puig first.

74' Quini concedes another corner for Barcelona but it doesn't really feel like the pressure is building on Granada. We'll have a few more changes first.

72' Depay blasts his free-kick into Granada's defensive wall. The visitors are defending well but Barca could still be giving them more to do.

M. Gonalons

Yellow Card

71' Gonalons picks up a yellow card for barging Demir over right near the D. Depay is going to shoot from here.

70' Barca are up to double figures when it comes to winning corners. Granada deal with this one too.

69' Granada venture forward for the first time in a while and get a corner out of it. It passes without incident though. They've done little in an attacking sense most of the game.

M. Gonalons

Antonio Puertas

67' Puertas also goes off. Gonalons, a more defensive midfielder, is his replacement.

L. Suárez

Jorge Molina

67' Molina removes his armband and trudges off the pitch. Suarez takes his place up top for Granada.

66' Dest goes for goal from the left of the box but fires way wide. Granada will finally get to make their substitutions.

64' Granada elect to play things short and get a free-kick out of it. The referee isn't in the mood to let them make their change yet.

62' Granada are preparing a change. Maximiano waves his team-mates upfield and launches forward, only to hand possession back to Barca. Granada are going nowhere currently.

61' Barca are getting closer to finding the equaliser they're after. Depay scoops over from the left of the six-yard box. The offside flag is up anyway.

Gavi

Philippe Coutinho

60' Barcelona substitution. The ineffectual Coutinho goes off. The 17-year-old Gavi comes on.

58' A few half-chances fall Depay's way. The Dutchman smashes an effort against a defender in the box before squeezing another through to Maximiano who gratefully claims it.

57' Dest and Depay combine down Barca's left to present Dest with another crossing opportunity. Again it doesn't work. Barca are going to have to try something else as Granada cope with their latest corner.

55' Barca earn a corner down their right and Araujo isn't too far off with his header again. Granada have got to watch out for him.

53' Dest is again fruitless in finding a teammate in Granada's penalty area. Barca thwart the visitors' counter before Busquets catches Monchu. Granada's free-kick doesn't come to much.

51' Maximiano dives to push Coutinho's inswinging cross out of the box. Barca are slowly turning the screw.

49' Dest slides in and hands Granada a free-kick down their right. Barca clear Milla's delivery.

47' Depay goes for a spectacular overhead kick as a cross floats towards him in the box. The Dutchman misses the ball entirely. Dest flings it back in from the left and Granada clear. He tries again and this time fires harmlessly out for a Granada throw-in.

46' Barca get the second half going. We'll have to see how those half-time substitutions change things.

Carlos Neva

Escudero

46' Granada also switch things up. Neva replaces Escudero who has been busy at left-back.

L. de Jong

Sergi Roberto

46' Koeman makes an attacking change at half-time. Luuk de Jong is on for Roberto.

For a club of their renown, Barca suddenly lack goalscorers. Luuk de Jong is the only current Barcelona player to have previously scored a goal against Granada in La Liga, and that was in January 2020 when he played for Sevilla. Depay in particular has some work to do here.

Granada will be pleased with how that first half went. After Duarte gave them the lead in the second minute, the visitors concentrated on making Barca's life difficult, staying compact behind the ball and wasting time at every opportunity. Barca have had a few chances to equalise though. They'll need to step things up after the break.

45' + 4' HALF-TIME: BARCELONA 0-1 GRANADA

45' + 4' Coutinho rattles a shot against a defender from distance and Busquets' follow-up is high and wide. The half ends with Granada awarded a free-kick for Mingueza tugging down Machis.

45' + 2' Barca keep trying to force the issue, as Maximiano catches Mingueza's header. The full-back had got on the end of a Depay cross.

45' There'll be four minutes of added time at the end of this half, most of it caused by the injury to Eteki.

44' Araujo gets a few chances to score! The Uruguayan ventures forward for a Barca free-kick and flicks the header towards goal, forcing Maximiano to tip it wide. Araujo nods wide from the resulting corner.

43' Meanwhile Granada have a free-kick which they launch into the penalty area. Abram nods the ball down and Barca can't clear. It rebounds to Monchu who tests Ter Stegen with a powerful shot from outside the box. The Barca goalkeeper is equal to it, parrying it away.

Óscar Mingueza

Alejandro Balde

42' Mingueza takes Balde's place on the pitch. Balde departs significantly quicker than Eteki did. Dest will switch to left-back.

41' Barca are preparing a substitution. Balde has been in some discomfort for a while so it looks like he'll be the man to go.

Ángel Montoro

Yellow Card

40' Montoro's booked for that trip on Busquets. The substitute will have to be careful now.

39' Machis wins a free-kick in his own half. Granada pass backward and make a mess of it, causing Montoro to trip Busquets.

37' Maximiano pumps his goal-kick up the pitch and Granada get a throw-in near the halfway line. Barca successfully play their way out of trouble and keep possession for a while.

36' Depay swings his free-kick into the box and Granada head it away. Depay, still wide right for now, plays a one-two with Dest but can't keep the ball in play.

35' Machis is penalised for tripping Dest to the right of Granada's box. Depay stands over the free-kick.

33' Barca's latest spell of positional dominance comes to nothing. Good as they still are, they're a shadow of the side they used to be even a few years ago.

31' Play is stopped again as Quini goes up against Depay and loses a contact lens, eventually picking it up and popping it back in. This endears the Granada defender to the Barca supporters, of course.

Ángel Montoro

Y. Eteki

30' Eteki's finally driven off the pitch in a cart. Montoro takes his place in Granada's central midfield.

28' There's a rain of boos as Eteki stays sat on the turf, waiting for the physios to enter the pitch with a stretcher. Granada see no shame whatsoever in taking their time.

27' Barca take the corner short and Granada get rid of Dest's delivery. Eteki is signalling for a substitution. He won't be able to continue.

26' Granada clear Dest's cross but Barca aren't going anywhere. The American tries again and this time forces a corner. Eteki is back on the pitch now.

25' Barca's latest attack is curtailed as Eteki overstretches himself and requires some treatment. Granada will play for 10 men for the time being.

23' Ter Stegen punches this corner comfortably away. Busquets complains to the referee at how long Granada take to take the throw-in. Depay goes on a mazy run forward and fires over from range.

22' Puertas flicks a header on to Molina who controls it well. Machis scampers down the left and can't beat Dest, only for the right-back to slip near the byline and concede the corner anyway.

20' Barca earn a succession of corners which ends when Maximiano rises high to claim the ball. Barca have had 78 per cent possession so far.

18' Barca get another corner down their right and hit the angle of post and bar! Roberto's snap shot from the edge of the box is blocked but he gets a second bite of the cherry. This time he beats Maximiano but not the woodwork! Granada survive.

16' Barca attempt to play through the lines but can't get their final pass right. In contrast, Quini lumps a long ball towards Molina who is unable to master it.

14' Barca win a corner down their left. Garcia jostles for the header with Eteki and ends up pushing the Cameroon midfielder over.

12' Molina hooks over from the centre of the box from Machis' cross. The home fans whistle as Puertas takes out Frenkie de Jong. There's a little bit of pushing and shoving which the referee rushes over to cut out.

10' Puertas gets clipped by Balde as he tries to stop Barca's latest attack. Granada welcome the free-kick.

8' Eteki wins a free-kick in Barca's half as he's brought down by Busquets. As expected Barca are seeing a lot of the ball but they haven't created a great deal yet.

6' Granada break forward and Puertas has a shot blocked by Balde from the right of the box. Granada earn another early corner. This time Barca manage to defend it.

4' That concession will embarrass Barca who do not look sure of themselves yet. There's a half-hearted appeal for a penalty in Granada's box but the referee isn't interested.

Escudero

Assist

2' Barca allowed Escudero to win the ball back far too easily there and he punished them. The hosts are up against it already!

Domingos Duarte

Goal

2' GOAL! BARCELONA 0-1 GRANADA! Granada have taken the lead almost immediately! Barca only half-clear Escudero's corner and the left-back retrieves the ball in the box. He hangs up a cross towards the far post where Duarte is well-placed to plant a header into the net!

2' Granada start brightly as Machis wins his side a corner down the left. No doubt Moreno and his team would love an early goal.

1' The visitors Granada get this game underway!

The players come out onto the pitch as Cant del Barca rings out around a half-full Camp Nou. Barca are wearing their usual blue and red stripes. Granada will play in their all-white away strip.

Barca have won 24 of their last 25 home meetings with Granada in La Liga, with the only exception being Granada's 2-1 victory here this past April. The hosts have struggled with Granada lately, losing two of their last four league matches. Can either side pick up a morale-boosting victory here?

Koeman makes five changes to the Barca side that lost so heavily to Bayern last week. The hosts have an extensive injury list so Demir and Coutinho flank Depay up front. There are seven changes to Granada from their 2-1 home loss to Real Betis. One of those is Molina who captains the side.

SUBS: Carlos Bacca, Aaron Escandell, German Sanchez, Isma Ruiz, Luis Suarez, Ruben Rochina, Víctor Diaz, Alberto Soro, Angel Montoro, Carlos Neva, Maxime Gonalons, Santiago Arias.

GRANADA (4-3-3): Luís Maximiano; Quini, Domingos Duarte, Luis Abram, Sergio Escudero; Monchu, Luis Milla, Yan Eteki; Antonio Puertas, Jorge Molina (c), Darwin Machis.

SUBS: Riqui Puig, Oscar Mingueza, Neto, Clement Lenglet, Samuel Umtiti, Gerard Pique, Luuk de Jong, Inaki Pena, Pablo Gaviria.

BARCELONA (4-3-3): Marc-André ter Stegen; Sergino Dest, Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo, Alejandro Balde; Sergi Roberto, Sergio Busquets (c), Frenkie de Jong; Yusuf Demir, Memphis Depay, Philippe Coutinho.

Granada, meanwhile, are yet to win this season having earned just two points from their first four games. That's their joint-worst total at this stage of the season in the 21st century. With Granada winless in their last nine games in La Liga and hovering just above the relegation zone, Robert Moreno needs to get a tune from his players quickly.

After their 3-0 thumping by Bayern Munich in the Champions League last week, Barcelona will be glad to return to league action at Camp Nou. Barca are unbeaten in their three games so far this season and, should they avoid defeat here, will have their highest point total from their first four games of a league campaign since 2018/19. They ended up champions.

Hello! Welcome to our live text commentary of this La Liga match between Barcelona and Granada at Camp Nou.

Barcelona v Granada Live Commentary, 20/09/2021

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