Barca held to draw in first game under interim boss Sergi Barjuan

Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw by Alaves in a Camp Nou encounter in the La Liga on Saturday night. It was the first game the club was playing since the arrival of interim manager Sergi Barjuan. Barjuan, a former team B coach, was brought in to lead the senior squad following the departure of manager Ronald Koeman. The Catalan side had 80% possession, 16 attempts and five shots on target but just could not pick all three points from the game. Jordi Alba assisted Memphis Depay to put the hosts ahead, curling into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area on 49 minutes. The visitors fought back as Luis Rioja equalised three minutes later after rounding Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The game also saw striker Sergio Aguero, who was making his first home start for the club since his move from Manchester City, forced off injured with four minutes of the first half remaining. The result keeps Barcelona in ninth place – eight points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid, who beat Elche 2-1 earlier on Saturday.