Eibar couldn’t stop an intractable Barça side with too much fire-power

Facing a team with the individual and collective quality of FC Barcelona always carries the risk of suffering a defeat despite having played well and fighting till you drop.  Something like this happened to Eibar in Ipurua, where they were defeated 0-4 by a relentless FC Barcelona.

What’s more, the Catalans could count on the added plus provided by an early goal that originated with Messi providing an assist to Suarez, whose parallel pass was shot past the far post by Munir.   It was the 7th minute.

After the goal, Eibar tried to regroup and there followed a phase where the home side dominated but it was difficult to break down Barça’s well-organised defensive system.

Despite that, Eibar had three occasions to level the score. In the 11th minute, Radosevic’s cross from the left was headed over the bar by Ramis; in the 32nd minute Escalante, in a good position, received a pass from Juncà but shot wide of the goal; and in the 39th minute a shot by Capa was nearly converted into a Barça own-goal, but again the ball went past the wrong side of the post. 

For all that however, it was Barça who scored again before half-time. It came in the 41st minute when an excellent dribble by Messi culminated in the Argentinian star striking an accurate shot low into the corner of the goal.  

The 0-2 scoreline greatly complicated the task of an Eibar side that ran, fought, gave its all and never gave up, but was up against what is - from defence to attack - a football-making machine, the cogs of which functioned to perfection in managing their lead.

A disputed penalty for a Ramis handball was converted by Messi in the 75th minute and in the 84th Luis Suarez scored after a fine individual effort to complete a scoreline that was more than Eibar deserved.

Now come two vital games for Mendilibar’s team, with consecutive visits to Vallecas and Getafe, in which Eibar has the chance to guarantee staying-up, or at least come close to it.