Deportivo Alaves 1-0 Barcelona: Diabate 45+1
Recently crowned champions Barcelona slipped to their first league defeat in nearly three months as relegation-threatened Deportivo Alaves claimed a vital 1-0 victory at Mendizorroza through Ibrahim Diabate’s first-half winner.
Just days after sealing the La Liga title against rivals Real Madrid, Barcelona arrived in the Basque Country to a guard of honour from the home side. But Hansi Flick’s team could not extend their 11-match winning run as Alaves boosted their survival hopes with a disciplined display.
The hosts started brightly and nearly struck inside the opening minutes when Diabate spun sharply in the area before seeing his effort blocked. Barcelona gradually settled into possession and began creating chances of their own, with Roony Bardghji hooking wide and Marcus Rashford firing past the post after meeting a dangerous cross from Jules Kounde.
Rashford and Dani Olmo remained Barcelona’s main attacking threats throughout the first half, although Alaves continued to carry danger on the break. Toni Martinez dragged one effort wide before Abde Rebbach curled narrowly off target.
As halftime approached, Rashford almost caught out Antonio Sivera with a looping cross that dropped onto the roof of the net, while Nahuel Tenaglia tested Wojciech Szczesny with a low strike from distance.
Alaves found the breakthrough in stoppage time at the end of the first half. Antonio Blanco reacted quickest to a corner and nodded the ball back into the six-yard box, where Diabate stretched out a leg to hook the finish beyond Szczesny from close range.
Barcelona attempted to respond quickly, but Diabate almost struck again moments after the restart when his header bounced kindly into Szczesny’s hands. Rashford continued to search for openings, sending a curling cross into the area that Sivera punched clear, before Olmo fired wide from distance.
Flick called on his bench shortly after the hour mark, introducing Pedri, Ferran Torres and Xavi Espart in a triple substitution as Barcelona pushed for an equaliser. Marc Bernal later blazed over from range while Alaves nearly added a second when Jon Guridi crashed a powerful effort against the woodwork, though the offside flag eventually went up.
The visitors dominated possession in the closing stages and repeatedly delivered balls into the penalty area, but Alaves defended stubbornly. Rashford slipped Olmo through with a clever flicked pass late on, only for Sivera to smother the chance, before the England forward failed to direct Joao Cancelo’s cross on target in the final minutes.
