Barcelona held but Luis Enrique upbeat

Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique remained upbeat after his side threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Villarreal and said: “We’re one point closer to our objective.”

Jeremy Mathieu scored an own goal from a corner to draw Villarreal level after Cedric Bakambu had reduced the deficit following first-half goals from Ivan Rakitic and Neymar, who netted from the penalty spot.

Barcelona moved nine points ahead of Atletico Madrid atop La Liga after Diego Simeone’s side’s defeat at Sporting Gijon, but would have gone 11 ahead had they managed to hold onto their lead at El Madrigal.