Barcelona 0-0 Malaga: Blaugrana forget how to win without absent Leo Messi

Barcelona dropped points at Camp Nou for the third time in La Liga this season as they failed to break down Malaga’s wall and when they did they were denied by the impressive Carlos Kameni. 

Lionel Messi withdrew in the build up to the game with a bug after spending the night being sick, adding his name to an absentee list which already included Luis Suarez (suspended) and Andres Iniesta and Samuel Umtiti (injured).

However, Barça welcomed Gerard Pique back into the team and Neymar started after returning to training on Friday. Paco Alcacer, in search of his his first goal for the club, was handed a start up front, too. 

Malaga sat deep — deeper than Barça had expected, Luis Enrique said — and the home side dominated the ball. There were held chances for Denis Suarez, Rafinha and Arda Turan, but none of them were able to work Kameni. 

Sergi Roberto was impressing on the right, but Neymar was sluggish on the left. Sergio Busquets, captain on his 400th appearance for the club, was also out of sorts and only a Pique challenge on Sandro Ramirez spared his blushes. 

Pique drew a fine save from Kameni, Alcacer had a goal ruled out for offside and Javier Mascherano hit the post — but he was also offside — while at the other end Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved from the returning Sandro. 

Barça improved after the break. Or at least Neymar did. The Brazilian’s direct running was a constant threat and Marcos Llorent saw red for cutting him down in full flow — he wasn’t the first Malaga player to do so, either. 

With a man advantage, Barça continued to push forward. A fine Miguel Torres block denied substitute Andre Gomes, who then hit the bar, with Pique tapping in the rebound, only to see the offside flag raised. 

There were more stops from Kameni, too, with Pique causing most of the problems operating as an emergency centre-forward. The Catalan defender also had a penalty shout turned down. 

With four minutes of stoppage time turning into seven, Kameni wrote the headlines late, late on. An unmarked Neymar looked to have headed in the winning goal, but the Cameroon stopper appeared from nowhere to deny Barça three points.