Deportivo Alavés 1-0 Barcelona, La Liga: Recap

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Barcelona’s quest for 100 points in this La Liga season has come to an end as the champions suffered a tight 1-0 defeat away to Alavés at the Mendizorrotza in the Basque Country on Wednesday night. A Barça side with several changes and a lot of reserves could never get their attack going all night, and conceded a poor goal just before halftime in a poor night for the Blaugrana.

Reactions & Observations

• The opening 45 minutes went as expected for a Barça team with nothing to play for and with several changes to the lineup: the Catalans had the ball and kept most of the possession without creating much danger in attack, with only Marcus Rashford having a couple of half-chances early on.
• Alavés, on the other hand, played with a lot of passion and intensity needing a result in their fight against relegation, and they brought danger in a few moments with set pieces and balls into the box. Their pressure eventually paid off with 30 seconds to go before halftime when Ibrahim Diabate scored during a scramble in the box following a corner, and Alavés deservedly had the lead at the break.
• The second half featured much of the same: Barça had the ball but almost no ideas, while Alavés stayed tight and organized at the back looking to defend their lead. There were plenty of fouls and a few cards and virtually zero quality, and the final whistle came to give Alavés three gigantic points in their fight against relegation.
• This was not a good night for Barça but the result was irrelevant and Flick was able to rest many of his key stars while also giving minutes to reserves and youngsters, and 21-year-old Álvaro Cortés was a bright spot at center-back. The quest for 100 is now over, and Barça have two more games to play before the season ends.