IN SPORT.ES
Barcelona’s unbeaten start to the season came crashing to an end against Leganes as Ernesto Valverde’s side surrendered a one-goal lead to lost 2-1.
Philippe Coutinho gave Barca the lead but two goals in two minutes after the break, the second after a huge mistake by Gerard Pique, gave the home side their first three points of the season and moved them off the bottom of the table.
It took Barca 37 games to taste defeat in La Liga last season — losing their penultimate game to Levante after already winning the league — but it’s taken just six this season.
You can’t say it’s not been coming, either. They rode their luck in wins away against Real Valladolid and Real Sociedad and were held by Girona at the weekend.
The spotlight will be on Valverde in the next week with a home game against Athletic Bilbao followed by a trip to Tottenham in the Champions League.
Barca looked set to make it five wins from six games in the league when Coutinho gave them a first half lead.
The Brazilian’s touch from a Lionel Messi pass was heavy and high, but he swivelled to expertly volley home from the edge of the box.
Messi came close to doubling Barça’s lead, hitting the woodwork before firing straight at goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar.
The game swing in two second half minutes though when the Blaugrana were rocked by conceding two goals.
Nabil El Zhar beat Thomas Vermaelen in the air to head home Jonathan Silva’s lopped cross.
Pique then cut out a long ball, appearing to have averted the danger, before passing straight to Oscar, who fired past Marc-Andre ter Stegen from inside the box.
Barça’s reply was toothless although they did come close to an equaliser when Cuellar produced a stunning double save from Coutinho and Ivan Rakitic.
Valverde, who had rested Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba, with Munir El Haddadi and Vermaelen starting, then turned to his bench in a bid for a spark.
Suarez, Alba and Malcom all came on but none were able to change the course of the game.
Three minutes of injury time came and went without action as Leganes, bottom of the table for this week’s fixtures, held on to record their first top flight win against Barca and pick up their first three points of the season.