Barcelona fails to capitalize on the points that Real Madrid lost after playing to a draw with Athletic Club

Barcelona lost their chance to close the gap on Real Madrid in the La Liga title race after playing a goalless draw with Athletic Club in San Mames.

The Catalan team was the better team in the first half, although they had little to show for it. Joao Cancelo almost scored from 40 yards after attempting an audacious shot but his effort was cleared off the line by Yeray Alvarez.

As it turned out, it was a disastrous first half for Barcelona, ​​with Frenkie de Jong and Pedri suffered ankle and tendon injuries respectively. It is very likely that neither player will be available for the next few weeks at least.

In the second half, Athletic came out and played much better. However, they also failed to create any clear-cut chances, in what was a rather uneventful game apart from the injury problems for the Blaugrana.

The result means that Barcelona remain third, eight points behind Real Madrid and only one behind Girona. Athletic Club remain in fifth, but are now five points behind Atletico Madrid in the race for the Champions League places.