La Liga leaders Barcelona slumped to a shock first loss of the season on Wednesday, suffering a 2-1 defeat at struggling Leganes after conceding twice in two second-half minutes as coach Ernesto Valverde's squad rotation backfired. Philippe Coutinho gave the champions the lead in the 12th minute with a classy volley and Lionel Messi smacked a shot against the bar as Barca, resting Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez, made a strong start against Leganes, who began the game bottom of the table. Leganes goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar pulled off a stunning double save to thwart Coutinho and Ivan Rakitic from close range in the closing minutes while Sergi Roberto skied a good opportunity as the unfancied hosts held on to record their first top-flight win over Barcelona. Barca remained top of the standings but could slip three points behind Real Madrid into second spot if Julen Lopetegui's side win at Sevilla later on Wednesday. Leganes had done well to limit their deficit to one goal and they came flying out of the blocks after halftime, chasing down their opponents with aggressive pressing.

Source: dna September 26, 2018 20:15 UTC