Lionel Messi was sorely missed at the Camp Nou last night as FC Barcelona was held to a 1-1 draw against Eibar in La Liga. The result has put the Catalan giants out of the European spots once again, as they drop to 6th place behind Villarreal.

Messi watched the game from the stands as he continues to recover from what is believed to be a minor ankle injury. He had to watch in frustration as his team fell behind in the 57th minute thanks to Kike Garcia's swift action while taking advantage of a defensive error from Ronald Araujo.

Luckily, Ousmane Dembele was able to find an equaliser ten minutes later. However, neither team was able to find the match winner and had to split the spoils from the evening.

Antoine Griezmann and Martin Braithwaite were left to lead the attack in the absence of Messi, but it was Dembele who made the breakthrough.

The match involved an early VAR call that resulted in a Barcelona penalty for a foul on Araujo. However, the Catalans were unable to take advantage. In the absence of Messi, spot-kick duties fell on Braithwaite, who unfortunately fired wide outside the posts.

VAR was involved once again as Braithwaite found the back of the net but the goal was later ruled offside.

Dembele came in as a substitute for Sergino Dest at half time and was a breath of fresh air. He had a chance from an assist by Pedri but was denied by Eibar goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic.

Koeman tried to boost the attack by bringing in Philippe Coutinho and Trincao to replace Miralem Pjanic and Griezmann. The move eventually led to Dembele's equaliser that salvaged a point from the evening.

Both teams had their chances but they had to settle for a draw. Barcelona was dealt with an even bigger blow after Coutinho appeared to have sustained a knee injury in the closing stages. Barca will now be heading into the new year in a less than favourable spot on the La Liga table.

Throughout the match, cameras were fixed on Messi, who did not hesitate to show his frustration. I the end, he was seen shaking his head as he walked away after the draw.

Lionel Messi
Messi could leave Barcelona this summer after nearly decades at the club AFP / Cesar Manso
Lionel Messi