LaLiga | Barcelona drops points

Aspas’ brilliant free-kick negates Suarez’s efforts

June 27, 2020 10:46 pm | Updated 10:46 pm IST - Madrid

On a high:  Barcelona’s Luis Suarez celebrates scoring his second goal against Celta Vigo.

On a high: Barcelona’s Luis Suarez celebrates scoring his second goal against Celta Vigo.

A brilliant free-kick by captain Iago Aspas ensured that host Celta Vigo, which should have won had it taken all the chances that came its way, walked away with a draw that could potentially damage champion Barcelona’s LaLiga defence. Twice the visiting Catalan team had gone up with goals from Luis Suarez only for Celta to bounce back. First through Fedor Smolov, who had an empty net to tap into, and then finally through Aspas who curled his kick beyond the defensive wall and into the near post leaving keeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen rooted.

Earlier on Friday, Sevilla was held to a fourth successive draw since the resumption of the season when a late penalty from Lucas Ocampos secured a point in a 1-1 draw against Valladolid.

The point allowed Sevilla to remain in fourth place and in the last Champions League qualifying spot.

It now has a four-point gap over fifth-placed Getafe.

Valladolid took the lead on 25 minutes through Kiko Olivas.

It was hanging on for victory until Javi Sanchez handled the ball in the area in the 83rd minute and Ocampos tucked away the penalty.

Juventus moved seven points clear at the top of Serie A on Friday after hammering struggling Lecce 4-0 in Turin and piling the pressure on title rival Lazio.

A superb Paulo Dybala strike and Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty just after the hour mark made sure of the result at the Allianz Stadium before two late strikes from Gonzalo Higuain and Matthijs de Ligt completed the rout against a Lecce team which had to play for an hour with 10 men.

The results: Premier League: Aston Villa 0 lost to Wolves 1 (Dendoncker 62).

LaLiga: Celta Vigo 2 (Smolov 50, Aspas 88) drew with Barcelona 2 (Luis Suarez 20, 67); Athletic Bilbao 3 (Raul Garcia 16-pen, Sancet 24, Villalibre 90) bt Real Mallorca 1 (Budimir 70-pen).

Bundesliga: Dortmund 0 lost to Hoffenheim 4 (Kramaric 8, 30, 48, 50-pen); Leverkusen 1 (Volland 2) bt Mainz 0; M’Gladbach 2 (Hofmann 7, Embolo 78) bt Hertha Berlin 1 (Ibisevic 90+1); Wolfsburg 0 lost to Bayern Munich 4 (Coman 4, Cuisance 37, Lewandowski 72-pen, Muller 79); Eintracht Frankfurt 3 (Rode 9, Silva 33, Dost 52) bt Paderborn 2 (Draeger 55, Michel 75); Werder Bremen 6 (Osako 22, 58, Rashica 27, Fuellkrug 29, Klaassen 55, Sargent 68) bt Cologne 1 (Drexler 62); Freiburg 4 (Waldschmidt 20, 57, Schmid 38, Hoeler 48) bt Schalke 0; Augsburg 1 (Vargas 71) lost to RB Leipzig 2 (Werner 28, 80); Union Berlin 3 (Ujah 26, Gentner 54, Abdullahi 90) bt Fortuna Dusseldorf 0.

Friday: LaLiga: Sevilla 1 (Ocampos 83-pen) drew with Real Valladolid 1 (Olivas 25).

Serie A: Juventus 4 (Dybala 53, Ronaldo 62-pen, Higuain 83, De Ligt 85) bt Lecce 0.

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