Barcelona's pursuit of narrowing the gap with their rivals, Real Madrid, at the summit of the La Liga standings suffered a significant setback as they were forced to settle for a draw against Granada.
The La Liga giants, who entered the final match of the ninth round of the season four points behind Los Blancos, endured a strenuous battle to secure the draw.
As reported by Marca, Xavi Hernandez's squad encountered an early setback when Bryan Zaragoza capitalized on an initial wayward pass from midfielder Pablo Gavi to open the scoring in the very first minute of the game.
The 21-year-old deepened Barcelona's woes with another spectacular finish in the 29th minute.
According to reports from the Spanish outlet, Barcelona responded just before halftime with a close-range strike from the young Lamine Yamal and an 85th-minute goal courtesy of club captain, Sergi Roberto.
While both teams provided an entertaining spectacle for the fans, it was Xavi's act during stoppage time that ignited humorous reactions on social media.
Xavi Hernandez's actions elicit fan reactions
As reported by Goal, sensational forward Joao Felix believed he had secured a late victory for the Catalan club in the 92nd minute when he connected with a cross from his national team compatriot, Joao Cancelo.
The goal prompted exuberant celebrations from the players and the team's staff on the bench. However, referee Cesar Soto Grado eventually disallowed the goal due to an offside call.
Xavi's celebration of the disallowed goal triggered a flurry of reactions, with many comparing the 43-year-old manager's celebration to that of a UEFA Champions League winner.
Reactions to the manager's amusing act:
@benofmadrid tweeted: "Unbelievable club 😅"
@nxtepe posted: "Tears, man 😭😭."
@dreamy_janty wrote: "Against Granada... 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣"
@xkamy_786 also posted: "Absolutely shameless 💀"
@EFCXGoat, referencing recent scandals involving Barcelona and the Spanish referee committee, posted: "Disallowed?? But I thought Barca paid the refs??"
Barcelona will have to wait until after the international break to attempt to close the gap on Real Madrid when they host Ernesto Valverde's Athletic Club at the Montuij.
Comments