Barcelona given Granada shock
Granada sent shockwaves through the LaLiga Santander title race with a stunning comeback to win 2-1 over Barcelona on Thursday night at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona looked to be in control with a one-goal lead at intermission thanks to a Lionel Messi goal, but they failed to put the Andalusian visitors away and a strike from Darwin Machis along with a Jorge Molina header leaves Barcelona two points adrift of league leaders Atletico Madrid.
Coach Ronald Koeman made several changes to the side that won at Villarreal over the weekend. Youngster Ilaix earned himself a start in midfield over Pedri, as did Samuel Umtiti in defence ahead of Clement Lenglet, and Sergi Roberto came in over Sergino Dest on the right wing.
It took the first part of the first half for Barcelona to open up Granada, but they did so in style with Messi finding the net after a one-two combination with Antoine Griezmann that included a pirouette from the Frenchman before feeding the Argentine and a 1-0 Barcelona lead.
The orchestrator of Barcelona's symphonic play was Sergio Busquets and a surgical pass from the veteran midfielder into Messi had all the makings of a second goal, only for Aaron to get the slightest of touches with his foot to deflect the shot wide.
Barcelona remained on the front foot to start the second stanza and nearly found their second when Ilaix linked with Griezmann and the French striker fired wide.
For all of Barcelona's dominance and flashed of brilliance, it was still just a one-goal affair going into the final half-hour and on a rare foray forward, Granada turned the match on its head when Machis ran onto a ball deflected off the foot of Mingueza and fired in at the near post to level things at 1-1.
Koeman was none too pleased with the proceedings and took out his frustrations on referee Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes, who promptly brandished a red card for the Dutch boss.
The first changes came for Barcelona shortly thereafter, with Ousmane Dembele summoned to add a spark in place of Mingueza, while Pedri replaced Ilaix.
The onus was on Barcelona to find a goal, but penetrating the Granada defence was proving too difficult and the Andalusians drove a stake further into the Catalonians when Molina was left all alone on a cross and steered a header into net to give the visitors a shock 2-1 lead.
Barcelona launched numbers forward in search of two goals in the final 10 minutes, including Trincao on for Busquets, but Granada never cracked, adding yet another twist to the most intriguing title race in years.
Match Sheet
1.- Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Mingueza (Dembele, min. 72), Pique, Umtiti; Sergi Roberto, De Jong, Busquets (Trincao, min. 81), Ilaix Moriba (Pedri, min. 72), Jordi Alba; Messi, Griezmann
2.- Granada: Aaron; Quini, Foulquier, Nehuen, Victor Diaz, German; Eteki (Gonalons, min. 61), Herrera; Machis (Marin, min. 75), Soldado (Molina, min. 61), Luis Suarez (Fede Vico, min. 86).
Goals: 1-0, min. 23: Messi; 1-1, min. 63: Machis; 1-2, min. 79: Molina
Referee: Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes (Asturias). Yellow cards: Soldado (Min. 20) for Granada, Nehuen (Min. 43) for Granada, German Sanchez (Min. 89) for Granada, Marin (Min. 94) for Granada
Paris Saint Germain Vs Manchester City Live Stream
Watch Psg Vs Manchester City Live Champions League Semifinal First Match
Link PSG VS MAN CITY http://www.footybite.tv/watch/sports-hd1
PSG vs Manchester City LIVE: Score, highlights and latest updates from the Champions League semi-final 1st leg
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The second of the 2020/21 Champions League semi-final first legs will take place this Wednesday night, with Paris Saint-Germain hosting Manchester City at the Parc des Princes. The game kicks off at 21:00 CEST and we'll have all the build-up ahead of this battle between Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola's sides. Later, after kick off of this UCL semi-final, we'll have minute-by-minute updates of the match itself.
PSG VS MANCHESTER CITY, LIVE SCORE 0-0
This is the start of our PSG vs Manchester City live blog, with the most recent updates at the top. All of our build-up and in-game coverage begins here, so follow along with us as we see these two Champions League giants square off in Paris.
Minute 2: Neymar gets the first shot
Neymar has been brilliant so far this Champions League season and he gets the first shot of this match, one that has some of the sting taken off it by Kyle Walker. It's a comfortable save for Ederson, but it's the first warning.
Minute 1: Kick off!
Here we go! After the players briefly take a knee, PSG vs Manchester City is up and running! Tonight's match will go a long way to determining which team makes it to the Champions League final in Istanbul and we're set for some fireworks along the way. Stay tuned as we bring you all the latest updates.
20:50 CEST: Warm-ups over, it's almost time!
The teams have completed their warm-ups and returned inside for their final preparations. It's almost time for kick off in this huge Champions League semi-final. The teams will be making their way out onto the pitch in a matter of moments. And we'll be covering it all right here on this live blog.
20:40 CEST: Felix Brych will take charge of this semi-final first leg
The referee for this PSG vs Manchester City game is the German Felix Brych. At 45 years of age, he is one of the most experienced referees around. He has had five Manchester City matches over his career, which were two City wins and three losses. And he has been in charge for four PSG games, which were two wins for the French side, one draw and one defeat. He hasn't whistled games involving either of these teams so far this season.
20:20 CEST: The three previous PSG vs Manchester City games
These two sides have met on three occasions in the past. The first was in the group stage of the 2008/09 UEFA Cup, back when teams only played each other once in that first round of the tournament. Their clash took place in Manchester and ended with no goals being scored. Later, once these two clubs' projects had really taken off, they clashed in the 2015/16 Champions League quarter-finals and the first leg was 2-2 in Paris before a 1-0 win for the English side at home. Kevin de Bruyne scored the only goal that night and he starts in this one as well.
20:00 CEST: Just one hour to go before PSG vs Manchester City starts!
Ok, we're getting closer. The PSG vs Manchester City line-ups are out and there is just one hour to go before kick off. It's surely predictions time now, so have your say in this poll on how you think tonight will go.
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