Barcelona lose grip on La Liga title after being held by Celta Vigo

FC Barcelona slipped up on their quest to retain their Spanish La Liga title after being held to a 2-2 draw by Celta Vigo on Saturday. The Catalans lead the table by one point, but will end up two points behind Real Madrid if Los Blancos win their match against Espanyol on Sunday evening.

Iago Aspas was the man of the match after he scored Celta's second equaliser from an unbelievable free-kick which curved around the Barcelona wall at an impossible angle. The 88th minute equaliser left little time for Barcelona to try to manufacture a winner.

Barcelona was in control for most of the match, as Luis Suarez netted a goal in the 20th minute off a Lionel Messi free-kick. Fedor Smolov equalised for Celta Vigo just after the half-time break but Barcelona quickly responded.

Suarez proved exactly how important it is that he was able to return to competition thanks to the delay brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. After initially being ruled out for the rest of the season after a knee surgery, Suarez was able to recover in time for the resumption of the season. He almost proved to be Barcelona's hero last night, after he danced around the Celta defence to take the 2-1 lead in the 67th minute.

Aspas rained on the Barcelona parade with what could be a major plot point in this season's title race. With his equaliser, Barcelona is even more at the mercy of Real Madrid. Both teams were sitting level at 68 points coming into the weekend. However, Real Madrid had the top spot thanks to a superior head-to-head record.

Now, after dropping two points, Barcelona will not only have to win all their remaining games, they will also be hoping for Real Madrid to slip up. With six more match days left, anything can happen. The title race is heating up but Barcelona will not be happy playing catch up. As of now, the title is for Real Madrid to lose.