Athletic Bilbao 0-0 Barcelona: Champions held to frustrating goalless draw

Champions Barcelona were left frustrated after squandering a chance to close the gap on LaLiga leaders Real Madrid after being held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at Athletic Club on Sunday.

With Real dropping points on Saturday after a 2-2 draw at Valencia, Barcelona were hoping to secure a win that would allow them to close the gap on the pacesetters while also leapfrogging Girona into second place in the standings.

Instead, Sunday's stalemate left them trailing Real by eight points and one point behind surprise package Girona, who are on 59 after losing 1-0 to Mallorca earlier in the day.

Barcelona suffered two injuries, with midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Pedri forced off in the first half.

De Jong was taken off the field in the 26th minute after landing awkwardly on his right foot during a challenge with a rival player.

Pedri left the field in tears just before halftime after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury.

The 21-year-old midfielder has suffered nine leg muscle injuries since the end of the 2020-21 season.

"It is a sad day," Xavi told Movistar Plus.

"We'll know more about their injuries between today and tomorrow, but it doesn't look good. We were affected by that and I imagine that both will be out for several matches."

In a tepid first half, Barcelona's Joao Cancelo came closest to scoring when his shot from near the halfway line arched over Athletic's goalkeeper but was cleared away by a defensive player.

The home side were more aggressive after the break, with Inaki Williams and Alex Berenguer posing constant threats.

However, they were frustrated by a strong Barcelona defence, which withstood late pressure to earn a point against an in-form team vying for a top-four finish.

Athletic, who came into the game on the heels of a 10-match home winning streak in all competitions, are fifth in the standings with 50 points, five behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.

SportsLigue