Barcelona title defence suffers major setback as they lose 1-0 to relegation-threatened Valladolid

Midfielder Fausto Rossi gave Valladolid a huge victory as Barcelona made a number of uncharacteristic passing errors

Saturday 08 March 2014 18:00 GMT

Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Cesc Fabregas react to Barcelona's defeat against Valladolid (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Barcelona's title defense took a blow on Saturday when it stumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Valladolid, missing the chance to move to the top of the Spanish standings ahead of its Champions League clash with Manchester City at Camp Nou.

Lionel Messi was the only Barcelona player who looked sharp, while his teammates were plagued by uncharacteristic passing errors and again proved brittle at the back.

Relegation-threatened Valladolid outplayed the defending champions early and midfielder Fausto Rossi netted the winner in the 17th minute.

Leader Real Madrid can increase its one-point advantage over Barcelona when it hosts Levante on Sunday.

Barcelona hosts Manchester City on Wednesday looking to protect its 2-0 lead in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Barcelona title defence suffers major setback as they lose 1-0 to relegation-threatened Valladolid

Midfielder Fausto Rossi gave Valladolid a huge victory as Barcelona made a number of uncharacteristic passing errors

Join our commenting forum

Thank you for registering