Ferran Torres' second-half equaliser rescued Barcelona as the La Liga outfit were held to a 1-1 draw at 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League quarter-final first leg.
Frankfurt, who had Brazilian defender Tuta sent off for a second booking late on, took the lead when Ansgar Knauff hit the top corner with a long-range shot after half-time.
However, Barca fought back when Torres tapped in after combining with Frenkie de Jong in the 66th minute.
After the match, manager Xavi said he was unhappy with the state of the pitch at the Waldstadion, adding that his side struggled on a "difficult" surface.
"It is a difficult pitch, a complicated pitch [to play on]. The grass was not in the best condition, and it made it difficult for us." Xavi said.
"I think the pitch will be better for the second leg. Today the ball did not move well. That is another reality and it cost us. You had to do one more touch and everything slowed down."
The second leg takes place at Camp Nou next Thursday.
Player ratings from Thursday's match can be seen in the picture gallery above. Andy Mitten with Barca's ratings. Harry Kettle's Frankfurt ratings below.
Eintracht Frankfurt
Kevin Trapp, 7 – Despite conceding, Trapp’s outing will be remembered for a world class save in the third minute to prevent an early setback.
Tuta, 3 – Two avoidable yellows summed up a really forgettable performance in which Tuta looked very, very lethargic.
Martin Hinteregger, 8 – His assured demeanour and never say die attitude were some of the primary reasons for Frankfurt’s success.
Evan N’Dicka, 7 – Some wonderful trickery and consistently strong defending in the first half was subdued by slow reactions for Barca’s goal.
Ansgar Knauff, 8 – After failing to take advantage of his chance in the first half he more than made up for it with a belter to give Frankfurt the lead.
Kristijan Jakic, 6 – Was slow to the ball for Barcelona's equaliser and struggled from a technical standpoint despite some good physicality.
Djibril Sow, 5 – Should’ve scored from close range early in the game and was constantly playing the ball backwards in odd spots.
Filip Kostic, 5 – A silly yellow card and quiet second half overshadowed a strong showing in the first 45 minutes.
Jesper Lindstrom, 7 – Aside from a few poor touches, Lindstrom was a fun attacking outlet that made a string of good runs into the box.
Daichi Kamada, 8 – Great composure, wonderful footwork, cut the ball out consistently and had a fantastic work ethic throughout.
Rafael Santos Borre, 6 – Was creative on the ball even though his instincts weren’t great when reacting to what was happening around him.
SUBS: Almamy Toure, N/A – Couldn’t get on the end of a nice cross just after coming on but did make a few nice defensive plays.
Jens Petter Hauge, N/A – Didn’t get much of a sniff with Barca largely taking over in possession in the last 20-30 minutes.
Sebastian Rode, N/A – Served as an extra body to help kill the clock in the final few minutes for ten-man Frankfurt.
Ragnar Ache, N/A – Pushed forward with a nice late counter in what proved to be a brief cameo.
