Barcelona's Historic 2-2 Draw Against Granada

 Barcelona's Historic 2-2 Draw Against Granada

Lamine Yamal of Barcelona in action during the UEFA Champions League Group Stage Group H match between FC Porto and FC Barcelona at Estadio do Dragao on October 4, 2023 in Porto, Portugal.(Image-Getty)

In an eventful match, Barcelona managed to secure a 2-2 draw against Granada, thanks to late heroics from substitute Sergi Roberto. The match also witnessed history as Barcelona's young winger Lamine Yamal became LaLiga's youngest-ever goalscorer at the age of 16 years and 87 days.

Granada's Bryan Zaragoza was the star of the first half, netting twice and giving the home team a comfortable two-goal lead. However, just before the halftime break, Lamine Yamal scored from close range, providing a lifeline for Barcelona.

Sergi Roberto's crucial goal came in the 86th minute, rescuing a point for Barcelona. This late surge saw Barcelona secure the 2-2 draw, despite their early struggles.

As a result of this draw, Barcelona currently stands in the third position with 21 points after nine games. They are only one point behind Girona and three points behind the league leaders, Real Madrid, who currently hold the top spot. Atletico Madrid follows closely in fourth place with 19 points and a game in hand.

Lamine Yamal's record-breaking goal made him LaLiga's youngest goalscorer, surpassing the previous record held by Malaga's Fabrice Olinga. Olinga had achieved this feat at the age of 16 years and 98 days back in 2012.

Yamal had already made headlines earlier when he became Barcelona's youngest debutant in an official match in August. Additionally, he became Spain's youngest-ever international and scorer at the age of 16 years and 57 days during his debut in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Georgia in September.

The goals from Yamal and Roberto proved crucial for Barcelona, as they struggled in the first half but dominated in the later stages of the game, with Granada's Andre Ferreira making several crucial saves.

Despite Granada's skillful forward, Bryan Zaragoza, having multiple chances to extend their lead on counter-attacks in the first half, they were unable to capitalize. Zaragoza also came close to sealing the victory with a powerful strike that hit the post in the 87th minute, shortly after Roberto's equalizing goal from Alejandro Balde's cross.

The match's drama continued into added time when a Joao Felix goal for Barcelona was controversially ruled out for offside in the build-up, prompting strong protests from Barcelona's players and manager, Xavi Hernandez.

Reflecting on the match, Xavi expressed his disappointment, stating, "I think we deserved more but paid for our mistakes. It's clear we can't go out on the pitch like that. We were patient, we dominated. Perhaps it's our match with the most possession and we had many chances. Pity is that we had to come back from 2-0 down after two counter-attacks. My feeling as a whole is good, but we dropped two points."