La Liga: Griezmann strike secures third place for Messi-less Barcelona

Coach Ronald Koeman named a much-changed starting eleven on Saturday, with Lionel Messi, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Jordi Alba and Pedri all absent.

Published : May 22, 2021 23:53 IST , Eibar

An acrobatic late effort from Antoine Griezmann saw Barcelona confirm a third-placed finish in La Liga for the season, as it crept past already relegated Eibar 1-0 on Saturday.

Coach Ronald Koeman named a much-changed starting eleven, with Lionel Messi, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Jordi Alba and Pedri all absent. And it showed in a somewhat disjointed first-half.

Defender Oscar Mingueza was required to make a crucial block early on after Frenkie de Jong lost the ball in a dangerous area in an otherwise uneventful first 45 minutes.

With the game seemingly destined for a draw, it sparked to life in the closing stages.

As it happened

In the 81st minute, Griezmann smashed in from an acute angle following good work from Ousmane Dembele.

Barca was given a scare four minutes from time when Takashi Inui saw an effort smash back off the crossbar. However, the Catalans held out to secure the three points.

It ends the campaign on 79 points, seven behind champion Atletico Madrid and five off second-placed Real Madrid.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment