Thanks to a late winner against Alaves by Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona jumps to fourth place in the table and can advance into the Champions League ranks on the next matchday against Atletico Madrid.
Barça coach Xavi made three changes to his starting eleven after the 3-2 Copa del Rey exit at Athletic Bilbao: Dest started at right back for veteran Dani Alves, Frenkie de Jong replaced Gavi in the centre and namesake Luuk took over the centre-forward role from Ferran Jutlga.
His opposite number José Luis Etxebarria rotated more after Deportivo’s 4-0 defeat at Betis Sevilla, with Lejeune, Javi Lopez, Pina and Pere Pons coming on for Miazga, Duarte, Toni Moya and Edgar.
Deportivo fail to punish Barça’s sluggishness
From the kick-off, the visitors in the Basque Country took control and played their usual possession football. The first danger came after a quarter of an hour when Luuk de Jong took a Pedri cross from half field and shot just wide of the goal (13). After this first small exclamation mark, however, the hosts presented themselves very stable and well organised. They shifted compactly against the ball and made life difficult for the favourites.
It took until the 30th minute before the next offensive action of the match was worth mentioning. This followed a Catalan corner, which Laguardia and Lejeune almost put into their own goal. After that, it was a tough game in which Barça played a neat passing game but were too ponderous to break down the well-organised home side. The home side even had the best chance of the first half at the half-time whistle through Pere Pons, who missed a free header in front of ter Stegen after Deportivo’s first successful transition situation and thus sealed the goalless draw at the break (45th minute).
In the second half, the game picked up a bit. Barça’s defence just managed to clear a low cross from Joselu against the incoming Pere Pons (52nd), before Frenkie de Jong narrowly missed a sharp cross from the right (55th). After just over an hour, the favourites had the best chance of the game through Luuk de Jong, who was unable to get a Pedri free-kick past Pacheco from close range (63).
De Jong’s lucky punch decides the game
In the following, the game flattened out a bit, as it had already done in the first half. Both teams lacked precision before Joselu missed the hosts’ big chance to take the lead (78th). In the final minutes, everything looked like a goalless draw – until Jordi Alba really broke Deportivo’s defence for the first time in the game with a powerful lob and thus set up Frenkie de Jong’s late goal (87th), which Alaves then had nothing to counter.
Barça thus secured an important win in the battle for Champions League qualification and moved to within one point of fourth-placed champions Atletico Madrid, while Deportivo Alaves remain in penultimate place in the table.
The Basques can correct this on 7 February (9pm) at FC Elche, Barcelona are challenged the day before at 16.15 in a direct clash with Atletico.
