🇪🇸 Barcelona need late equaliser to avoid home defeat to Granada | OneFootball

Barcelona needed a last-minute equaliser to stave off a home defeat to Granada and spare under-pressure head coach Ronald Koeman’s blushes.

Scorers: Araújo’ 90′; Duarte 2′.

Granada took a shock lead inside the first two minutes when Barça failed to clear a corner which led to Sergio Escudero’s cross being headed in by Domingos Duarte at the back post.

The host struggled to get a hold on the game for the majority of the first half but were almost back in to it in the 18th minute when the ball broke for Sergi Roberto from a corner but his poked shot struck the crossbar.

Koeman’s problems worsened five minutes before the break when 18-year-old Alejandro Baldé, making his first start for the club, had to be replaced by Óscar Mingueza due to a back problem.

Robert Moreno’s side then almost doubled their lead straight away but Monchu’s volley was well saved by Marc-André ter Stegen.

Barça did up the ante in first-half stoppage time and Granada had Luís Maximiano to thank after he produced a stunning one-handed save to deny Ronald Araújo’s header.

The situation didn’t improve for Barcelona after the break, with the ineffective Philippe Coutinho, making his first start since January 2021, being taken off after 59 minutes and Koeman eventually rolling the dice by bringing out Gerard Piqué to play up-front alongside Luuk de Jong.

De Jong then spurned a golden chance to equalise in the 79th minute when Memphis’ cross found its way to the back-post but the Dutch striker’s header flew over the bar from four yards out.

But thankfully for the home faithful, and Koeman, there was still one more chance and Araújo rose highest to get on to the end of Gavi’s cross to head past Maximiano in the last minute of normal time.

Barcelona move up to 7th while Granada remain winless in 17th.