Sevilla are the LaLiga leaders heading into the October international break after champions Barcelona could only draw away to Valencia.
2018/2019 La Liga
1-1
Match Events
2' GOAL! Valencia 1-0 Barcelona (Garay)
Parejo takes a simple corner towards the near post for Gameiro but it takes a touch off the head of Pique and goes directly into the path of Ezequiel Garay who taps it home from inside the six-yard box. 1-0 to Valencia after only two minutes!
6' CLOSE! Batshuayi's shot wide out
ALMOST 2-0! What is happening to Barcelona?! Guedes bursts into the area and centres it for Gameiro who tees up Batshuayi for a shot. The striker can’t get the ball out of his feet but eventually manages a weak-foot strike which goes perilously close to the Barcelona goal. Valencia are dominating the early stages here!
23' GOAL! Valencia 1-1 Barcelona (Messi)
It’s as simple a goal as Messi will score as the captain plays an easy one-two pass with Suarez on the edge of the penalty area and curls a shot into the bottom corner of the net! The two sides are level once again! 1-1!
47' CHANCE! Cheryshev's shot wide out
Gaya crosses the ball early for Gameiro who isn’t quite ready for the pass. Alba clears it but only as far as Cheryshev whose outside-the-boot shot from just outside the penalty area loops just over the crossbar and out for a goal-kick.
54' CHANCE! Messi's shot saved
After some beautiful give-and-go passing in which two Valencia players have the ball played between their legs, Neto saves his side’s blushes after making a convincing stop on an acute-angle shot from Messi.
81' CHANCE! Messi's shot wide out
Messi plays Coutinho through on goal but the Brazil international is unable to hold off Garay who uses his imposing stature to steal the ball and clear his lines
Match Reports
Lionel Messi scored a brilliant equaliser as Barcelona's winless run in LaLiga stretched to four matches following a 1-1 draw at Valencia.
Ezequiel Garay capitalised on terrible marking to convert a corner in the second minute, but Valencia were unable to make the most of their early dominance at Mestalla on Sunday.
Messi levelled midway through the first half with a wonderful strike from outside the penalty area, although Barca, who beat Tottenham 4-2 in the Champions League in midweek, could not find a winner.
Line-ups
Valencia XI: Garay, Gameiro, Parejo, Neto, Gabriel, Kondogbia, Cristiano Piccini, M. Batshuayi, Gayá, Gonçalo Guedes, C.Soler
Subs: D.Wass, Coquelin, Murillo, Rodrigo, D. Cheryshev, Jaume Doménech, T.Lato
Barcelona XI: L. Messi, T. Vermaelen, L. Suárez, Piqué, I. Rakitić, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Philippe Coutinho, M. ter Stegen, Semedo, Arthur
Subs: Vidal, Jasper Cillessen, D.Suárez, Rafinha, Lenglet, Munir, O. Dembélé