Barcelona 1 - Celta 1

Barcelona: Dutruel; Reiziger, Frank De Boer, Puyol; Gabri, Guardiola, Luis Enrique (Dani 82'), Cocu; Zenden (Petit 72'), Rivaldo, Overmars. 3-4-3.
Celta: Cavallero; Velasco (Yago 80'), Djorovic (Giovanella 67'), Berizzo, Cáceres, Juanfran; Edu, Vagner,Mostovoi, Gustavo López; Catanha (Jesuli 60'). 5-4-1.

Team changes: Barcelona: Dutruel, Reiziger, Frank De Boer, Zenden for Reina, Sergi, Xavi, Kluivert / Celta: Berizzo for Giovanella.

Goals:
0-1. 04. Mostovoi. First time shot into top corner after Gustavo López laid ball back.
1-1. 29. Gabri. Shot from outside area into roof of net after De Boer headed back.

Barcelona's hopes of playing in the Champions League next season took another blow as they were held to a 1-1 draw by on-form Celta. Media interest was at a maximum after manager Lorenzo Serra Ferrer was fired during the week, and everyone was waiting to see what the new men, caretaker manager Carles (Charlie) Rexach and his assistant Alexanco, were going to come up with. Rexach has been with the club for many years on and off now, working as assistant to Luis Aragonés and then to Johann Cruyff, and has taken charge of teams under emergency circumstances before. He also had a brief spell as a manager in Japan before returning to rejoin his old club in a technical capacity. Rexach's main influence over the years has been Cruyff, and he tried to turn back the clock to the days of the "dream team", putting out a 3-4-3 formation.

His first change was to replace young keeper Reina with Dutruel, but with four players suspended from last week, Sergi, De la Peña, Simao and Kluivert, he didn't have too many to choose from. Dani was expected to come in for Kluivert, but Rexach surprised everyone playing without an orthodox striker, Rivaldo playing further forward supported by Luis Enrique. Three Barça B youngsters were also included amongst the substitutes, including Brazilian defender Marcelo, who Serra Ferrer brought in to the squad then ignored. Seeing the attacking line up, Víctor Fernández decided to play an extra man at the back, with Berizzo returning from suspension to line up alongside Cáceres and Djorovic. Knowing that the Barcelona players had little time to adapt to the new formation, with many only returning on Friday from international duty, Celta struck before they had time to settle, Mostovoi beating his old team mate Dutruel after Gustavo López laid the ball across from the right.

The goal silenced a packed Nou Camp for a few minutes, but gradually the play started to flow, and the crowd got behind them as Rivaldo went close on a couple of occasions. Then Gabri hit the equaliser after Frank De Boer headed back a corner from the right, and the match was all square. For the next fifteen minutes Barcelona bore down on Cavallero's goal, and only he and the woodwork kept them out, with the keeper saving from Rivaldo, Luis Enrique and Reiziger, Overmars hitting the post and Luis Enrique the crossbar. Barcelona club president Joan Gaspart was grinning from ear to ear at the break, but his smile gradually faded as it was back to normal for the second 45 minutes, with Víctor pulling his men back to defend the point and taking off his lone forward Catanha with half an hour left to play. Zenden tested Cavallero again and Overmars shot wide, and Rexach finally brought on Dani a little too late. With a couple of minutes to go Juanfran got his chest in the way of Guardiola's shot and Barcelona's comeback was over. In injury time Puyol's elbow caught Gustavo López on the face and the winger had to have a cut on his eyebrow bandaged up. Referee Rodríguez Santiago didn't book the full back (who was already on a yellow card), but the challenge set off confrontations between the players (handbags at ten paces), and López went for Puyol as the referee blew the final whistle without any further consequences.

Barça had improved, but they fall further behind their direct rivals for the two remaining champions league spots (Real Madrid and Deportivo are fairly safe), with Valencia and Mallorca both winning. They are now four points behind the pair of them and the only consolation is that they keep the four point gap ahead of Celta, who stay sixth. Rexach had promised his management a place in the top four and as icing on the cake the Spanish cup. On current form though the only trophy they have any chance of winning will be the Catalunya cup, having qualified for the final midweek against second division B side Gramanet. Celta's bad form at the start of the season prevents them from being more ambitious, but having only lost one out of the last fourteen matches they should qualify for the UEFA cup this year. That would prevent them from a season like this one, where they started in the Intertoto cup in mid July and finish the season at the end of June. The two clubs have to meet again in the semi-final of the Spanish cup once the league is over, and hopefully tempers will have calmed by then. If not expect handbag sales to increase in June.