Barcelona vs. Malaga: Score and Reaction from 2016 La Liga Match

Barcelona missed the chance to go top of La Liga after being held to a 0-0 draw by Malaga at the Camp Nou on Saturday. Barca were unable to take advantage of the visitors being reduced to 10 men in the second half, when centre-back Diego Llorente, on loan from Real Madrid, received a red card after a foul on Neymar.

Playing without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Barca lacked pace and ingenuity in the final third, especially against an inspired Carlos Kameni in the Malaga goal. By the end, Malaga were down to nine men after Juankar was red-carded following a verbal spat with the referee, but Barca still couldn't break them down.

They've now missed the chance to apply pressure on leaders Real ahead of their derby against Atletico Madrid on Saturday evening.

The hosts were weakened considerably from the start, with both Suarez and Messi missing out. Paco Alcacer and Arda Turan came in, according to La Liga's Twitter account:

BBC Sport's Andy West detailed why Messi and Suarez missed out:

Meanwhile, OptaJose spelled out the challenge facing Barca without their two leading lights up front:

Predictably, the first half proved a struggle for the hosts, who naturally lacked inspiration in attack. Even so, Malaga still needed some heroics from Kameni to keep them in the game.

The Cameroonian stopper produced a splendid save to deny Rafinha. Kameni commanded his area well and was out like a flash any time Barca tried to thread passes between the lines to meet a keen run into the box.

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Kameni's stubborn streak kept things goalless at the break. Barcelona needed more from Neymar, who was struggling to impose himself without the support of Messi and Suarez.

Obviously anxious to up his game, Neymar looked a different player at the start of the second half. He was quicker to the ball and more decisive with his actions, flashing an early shot Kameni's way in the opening minutes.

However, Neymar's enthusiasm got the better of him when he went for a header despite being in an offside position. The forward's movement was flagged, yet full-back Sergi Roberto would have had a tap-in had Neymar ignored Rafinha's subtle pass.

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While Neymar was huffing and puffing to try to change the game, Alcacer was hardly in it. The former Valencia striker came in for some criticism from Kieran Canning of Agence France-Presse:

Barca's forward line was struggling, but the team still needed more creativity in midfield. Manager Luis Enrique promptly introduced another ex-Valencia star, Andre Gomes, to try to provide it.

Barca may not have needed him had Kameni not made another fine save, this time denying centre-back Gerard Pique.

Speaking of centre-backs, ESPN's Dermot Corrigan highlighted how well Llorente was performing:

Of course, the Los Blancos loanee's fortunes soon changed after he received a straight red card for a rash and cynical challenge on Neymar.

Still seeking a creative edge, Enrique swapped Rafinha for Croatian playmaker Ivan Rakitic. He also moved Pique into a role as a makeshift striker, the clearest sign yet of Barca's struggles to unlock Malaga in the final third.

Pique thought he'd scored when he tapped home after Gomes' header hit the bar. But the defender was judged to be offside, which was a marginal call to say the least.

Pique then looked to have won a penalty after a tussle in the box. However, the referee dismissed what looked like justified protests.

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Neymar might have won it in stoppage time were not for yet more brilliance from Kameni, who saved well at his near post. It was the last meaningful chance for a Barca side lacking quality without their main men.

There was still time for Juankar to be sent off deep into injury time, but the nine men held on for a terrific point.

Post-Match Reaction

Not surprisingly, Enrique bemoaned what he saw as Malaga's negative plan, according to Barca's official site: "It is very difficult to create clear chances against a team that takes such a defensive approach."

He also tried to add some perspective to what had been a frustrating afternoon: "We are one of the teams that are most used to playing against sides that keep it tight at the back, but that doesn’t mean that we’re always going to find the solution."

Interestingly, the manager chose to defend Alcacer, a talented player obviously low on confidence: "Paco Alcacer played as well as the rest of the team. Very well. You have to be coherent in football. For a new player to score a lot of goals, he needs to get a lot of playing time."

Of course, Alcacer and Co. struggled to finish because of Kameni's dominant performance. The 32-year-old 'keeper applauded the fighting spirit of his team-mates, per La Liga English:

Barca weren't beaten but found out just how much they rely on Suarez and Messi to break down stubborn teams. These are two precious points dropped ahead of the Madrid derby.