Barcelona's dream of a record-breaking 100-point La Liga season came to a sudden halt on Wednesday night, as newly-crowned champions suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened Alaves in Vitoria.
Fresh off clinching back-to-back league titles with Sunday's Clasico victory, Hansi Flick's side needed to win their final three matches to match the all-time points record. But they stumbled at the first hurdle, with Ibrahim Diabate's first-half stoppage-time strike proving decisive.
The goal came from a corner, as Antonio Blanco headed the ball back into the danger zone and Diabate fired past Wojciech Szczesny, catching the Barcelona defense napping just before the break. The visitors struggled to create clear-cut chances throughout, while Alaves nearly doubled their lead when Jon Guridi's drive beat Szczesny but rattled the post.
"It was not an easy game," Flick acknowledged. "They battled in a hard way, but it's OK because they are fighting to stay in La Liga and this is normal. We let in the goal in the last minute of the first half... but for me it's more the positives — the young players who played today and managing the minutes."
The German manager rang in the changes from the title-clinching side, handing 21-year-old center-back Alvaro Cortes his debut. Barcelona's performance showed signs of their Monday celebrations, which included an open-top bus parade through the city. Despite Marcus Rashford's energetic display on the wing, the champions lacked their usual cutting edge.
For Alaves, the victory was monumental. Quique Sanchez Flores' side climbed out of the relegation zone to 15th place, earning three vital points in their survival fight.
In other La Liga action, Sevilla produced a stunning comeback from two goals down to beat Villarreal 3-2. The Andalusian side, who have been battling near the bottom in recent months, secured their third consecutive victory to climb to 10th place — four points clear of the drop zone. Villarreal had looked dominant early on, with Gerard Moreno and Georges Mikautadze firing them into a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes, but Sevilla's resolve proved unbreakable.