(CNN) – Barcelona‘s week went from bad to worse Saturday. Three days after it was ousted by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona lost 1-0 at lowly Granada in Spain’s La Liga to give Madrid’s second club a huge boost in the title race.Atletico can move four points clear of Barcelona on Sunday, a lead that would render the teams’ clash on the final day of the season meaningless — if Real Madrid is out of contention. Real Madrid will leapfrog Barcelona for second if it defeats Almeria later Saturday.
A combination of inspired goalkeeping by backup Orestis Karnezis and Barcelona misses — from the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Andres Iniesta — ensured a night of frustration for Tata Martino’s men, who must pick themselves up in time for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid.
A headline on Barcelona’s website Saturday proclaimed, ‘The ball didn’t want to go in.’ Barcelona registered nearly 30 shots but only one player scored in the game: Yacine Brahimi in the 16th minute.
Granada entered Saturday three points above the relegation zone.
“This is a step backwards,” Iniesta told Canal Plus. “Sometimes it’s hard to find an explanation when you lose but we just couldn’t get the goal.
“Teams like Granada who are playing for their La Liga survival live and die on chances like the one they scored but that was too much punishment for us.
“We tried everything we could to score. It hurts having taken this step backwards with so few matches left.”
Surging Atletico visits third-last Getafe on Sunday, hoping to take three more points. Getafe has won once in the league since the end of November.