Barcelona suffered a 1-0 shock home La Liga defeat by relegation-threatened Cadiz to leave leaders Real Madrid closer to clinching the Spanish title.
Despite dominating possession in the first half on Monday, Barcelona could not find the opening, and it was in fact Cadiz who had the best opportunity to take the lead in the first period as Lucas Perez sliced the ball wide of the far post from close-range.
This was Barca’s first La Liga loss since 4 December, ending a 15-match unbeaten league run.
Second-placed Barca trail Real Madrid by 15 points with seven games left.
The three points will prove a massive boost in Cadiz’s fight against relegation to the second division, while it complicates Barcelona’s quest to seal a spot in the UEFA Champions League next season.
Any hope the Catalans retained of derailing their great rivals’ bid for a 35th top-flight title were slim before the visit of Cadiz, but this result will serve as a reminder of the gulf between Spain’s dominant teams.
Barca have been resurgent under Xavi since his appointment as manager in November and even thrashed the league leaders 4-0 at the Bernabeu last month.
But the club has endured a chastening week, with this defeat coming five days after they were beaten at home by Eintracht Frankfurt and eliminated from the Europa League semi-finals.
Victory takes Cadiz two points clear of the relegation zone with six matches left.
