Barcelona 1-0 Alavés

Feb. 2, 2025, 6:30 p.m. Sports

Barcelona secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Alavés in a tightly contested La Liga encounter at the Camp Nou on Saturday. Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, the home side managed to secure all three points thanks to a second-half goal from Antoine Griezmann.

The match began with Barcelona controlling the tempo and dictating the play, as they looked to break down a resilient Alavés defense. Lionel Messi, who was once again pulling the strings in midfield, was instrumental in creating several opportunities for the Catalans. However, Alavés defended resolutely and frustrated their opponents with their defensive shape.

As the first half progressed, Barcelona turned up the pressure and started to create more clear-cut chances. Ousmane Dembélé, who was a constant threat on the right flank, came close to opening the scoring with a well-struck effort that was saved by Alavés goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco. The visitors, on the other hand, were limited to sporadic counter-attacks and struggled to test Barcelona's defense.

The breakthrough finally came in the 55th minute when Griezmann found the back of the net with a clinical finish. The French forward was played in by Messi and made no mistake with his finish, slotting the ball past Pacheco to give Barcelona the lead. The goal sparked jubilant celebrations among the home fans, who were relieved to see their team finally take the lead.

Despite taking the lead, Barcelona continued to push forward in search of a second goal to put the game to bed. Messi went close with a curling effort that flew just wide of the post, while Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay also had chances to extend the lead. However, Alavés defended resolutely and limited Barcelona to long-range efforts for the remainder of the match.

As the final whistle blew, Barcelona held on to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory and maintain their unbeaten start to the La Liga season. The win sees them move level on points with league leaders Real Madrid, who have played a game less. While it was not the most convincing performance from Ronald Koeman's side, the three points will be a welcome boost as they look to challenge for the league title.

For Alavés, the defeat was a frustrating result as they came up against a formidable Barcelona side. Despite their defensive efforts, they were unable to trouble the Barcelona defense and failed to create any clear-cut chances of their own. The loss leaves them languishing in the bottom half of the table, with work to do if they are to climb up the standings.

Overall, Barcelona will be pleased with the result but will be aware that there is room for improvement in their performance. With tough fixtures on the horizon, they will need to continue to grind out results if they are to mount a serious title challenge this season. Alavés, on the other hand, will need to regroup and bounce back from this defeat as they look to climb up the table in the coming weeks.