Barcelona dropped home points for the first time in the Primera
Division this season as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal
at Camp Nou.
Pep Guardiola's side showed off the six trophies they had won in
2009 prior to this game, in what was intended to be an evening of
celebration for the Catalan club in their first match of the year.
And they looked to be on their way when Pedro, who scored in all
six of those competitions, opened the scoring after just seven minutes.
But the Yellow Submarine failed to read the script and David Fuster
levelled for the visitors within six minutes of the restart.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed a great opportunity for the hosts late
on, but it was not to be.
After winning their sixth trophy of 2009 with an extra-time success
over Estudiantes in the Club World Cup before Christmas, Guardiola
warned against a period of relaxation following such an epic effort.
And Villarreal, unbeaten in their last two visits to Camp Nou,
came into this match on form, having won six of their last eight
games in La Liga.
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