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Barca give Real chance to pull level after Sevilla draw

MADRID: Barcelona were held to a goalless draw at Sevilla on Friday for their first stumble since the resumption of play in the La Liga following a three-month stoppage for the Covid-19 pandemic.

The slip gives Real Madrid the chance to regain top spot this weekend. Real trail Barca by three points before they visit Real Sociedad on Sunday to complete round 30 of 38. Real hold the head-to-head goal difference with Barca in the case of a tie.

Barca defender Gerard Pique said La Liga’s title race is Real’s to lose.

“It is going to be difficult to win this league because we depend on the results of others now, and I don’t think Real are going to drop many points,” Pique said. “We lost a chance today. And seeing how we have played (…), it is going to be difficult.”

Coach Quique Setien, however, said the fight was far from over.

“We knew beforehand that it would be difficult to win all the games left, practically impossible, and that this was one of the toughest matches we faced,” Setin said. “It is frustration of the moment. I am sure [Pique] will feel different tomorrow, and I am sure that Real will drop points, too. We have to be optimistic.”

Lionel Messi went closest to breaking the stalemate when his first-half free kick was cleared on the line by defender Jules Kounde, leaving the Argentina star on 699 career goals for club and country.

Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer was stifled by Sevilla’s defence anchored by former Manchester City midfielder Fernando. Messi had scored in the previous two matches both Barca wins since the league resumed.

The sight of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen jogging up for a late corner demonstrated how big a blow they considered dropping points to be.

Yet Sociedad are still in the hunt for Champions League qualification and will offer Real no guarantees on Sunday while games against Getafe, Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal mean there are still plenty of hurdles for Zinedine Zidane’s team to overcome.

Barcelona though would appear to have the tougher run-in, with Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and local rivals Espanyol coming up.

Sevilla, who played without their normally very loud fans at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as mandated by health officials in all league games, remained in third place with a five-point cushion over Getafe in fifth, albeit having played a game more.

Earlier, Villarreal moved into contention for a top-four finish and a Champions League berth after they won 1-0 at Granada thanks to Gerard Moreno’s early strike. A third straight victory left Villarreal in seventh place but just two points out of fourth.

Leganes snatched a 1-1 draw at Mallorca in a match between two teams in the relegation zone. Both goals came from free kicks, with Salva Sevilla putting Mall­orca early and Oscar Rodr­iguez equalising with three minutes left.

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