Barca hit by later penalty to pull with Cadiz
Barcelona compounded their Champions Group misery as a result of Paris Saint-Germain by drawing on Sunday in the home to Cadiz, who scored an 89th-minute penalty to snatch a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou.
Lionel Messi broke a Barcelona record by making his 506th La Liga appearance for the golf club and marked the milestone with an objective, his own spot-kick seeking likely to secure a narrow gain for his side.
But Barca failed to score another despite a good hatful of possibilities and Cadiz punished them with a good late equaliser, Alex Fernandez converting from the location after a good wild swing from Clement Lenglet.
The draw means Ronald Koeman's side approach only one point nearer to Atletico Madrid in the table rather than three, after Atletico gave their rivals a chance by losing in the home to Levante on Saturday.
"I'm very disappointed," said Koeman. "Maybe even more than after the video game on Tuesday. We were on a good run in the little league and we're able to have cut the length with those above us.
"We didn't have various problems and it's a video game that with this quality we have to win, but we haven't done it."
Barcelona had won their previous seven game titles and another victory could have put them back view of Atletico, who are actually eight points ahead of the Catalans. Real Madrid are only three tips behind Atleti but have played a casino game more.
"It hurts a whole lot, after Atletico's result, we had a prospect," said Gerard Pique. "Thus lose two details like we did within the last minute can be tough to swallow."
It also brings an end to a good hugely disappointing week for Barcelona after their 4-1 hammering by PSG, with Elche up next on Wednesday before a hardcore visit to fourth-placed Sevilla next weekend.
Barca had 21 pictures to Cadiz's three but having didn't capitalise, these were always susceptible to a lapse in the back, that your out-of-web form Lenglet duly provided.
Fernandez held his nerve to score the equaliser, a far more memorable target for him perhaps just as a Real Madrid admirer and brother of Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez.
Messi's goal was his 16th of the growing season, drawing him level with Atletico's Luis Suarez near the top of the La Liga charts.
The 33-year-old cooly rolled the ball in to the corner after Pedri was stopped from breaking through, sandwiched between Salvi and Isaac Carcelen.
Both Frenkie de Jong and Pedi had goals eliminated for offside while Messi almost teed up Antoine Griezmann early in the next half. Ousmane Dembele's generating run lacked a end too.
Afterward Cadiz's moment came, a long ball launched in to the package and Lenglet failing woefully to area Ruben Sobrino arriving in back of him. Lenglet swung a leg but Sobrino touched the ball apart initial, allowing Fernandez a particular equaliser.
Real Sociedad after destroyed Alaves 4-0, with Alexander Isak scoring his earliest ever hat-trick on La Liga. La Real sit fifth, four factors behind Sevilla, having enjoyed two games more.
