Barcelona couldn't manage more than 1-1 against relegation-wary Las Palmas on Thursday, allowing Atletico Madrid to move within five points of the Spanish league lead ahead of their match this weekend.
Barcelona, which has drawn three of its last five league matches, will host Atletico on Sunday needing to halt an eight-match winning streak by Diego Simeone's team.
Barcelona was 11 points in front of Atletico just six rounds ago, but could end the weekend only two points in front of the Madrid club.
FC Barcelona's Messi, left, against Las Palma's Ximo Navarro during a Spanish La liga soccer match at the Gran Canaria stadium in the Canary island of Las Palmas, Thursday March 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Lucas de Leon)
Atletico was boosted by a 4-0 win over Leganes on Wednesday, when Antoine Griezmann scored all four goals.
Lionel Messi put Barcelona ahead on Thursday with a powerful free kick shot into the top corner in the 20th minute, but the hosts equalized through a penalty kick converted by Jonathan Calleri early in the second half after a controversial handball by Barcelona defender Lucas Digne.
FC Barcelona's Lucas Digne, right, duels for the ball with Las Palmas' Matias Aguirregaray during a Spanish La liga soccer match at the Gran Canaria stadium in the Canary island of Las Palmas, Thursday March 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Lucas de Leon)
At first it wasn't clear why the penalty was called. A corner kick ricocheted off a post and the ball brushed Digne's arm. Some Barcelona players initially thought the referee called a foul by Sergio Roberto on Matias Aguirregaray when the ball first arrived into the area.
Coach Ernesto Valverde said he and his players still didn't know what the call was.
Barcelona also complained about a non-call of handball by Las Palmas goalkeeper Leandro Chichizola outside the area just before halftime.
FC Barcelona's Messi, centre, is held by Las Palmas' Dani Castellano, left, during a Spanish La liga soccer match at the Gran Canaria stadium in the Canary island of Las Palmas, Thursday March 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Lucas de Leon)
It was the fifth free-kick goal by Messi, who is the league leading scorer with 23, three more than teammate Luis Suarez. The Argentine playmaker has four goals in his last three matches. The Gran Canaria Stadium was one of the few venues where Messi was yet to score in La Liga.
Las Palmas stayed 18th in the 20-team standings, inside the relegation zone. The team from the Canary Islands has won only one of its last six matches.
Betis draws
Real Betis missed a chance to get near the Europa League qualification spots after being held by Real Sociedad to 0-0 at home.
The result dropped Betis to ninth place, four points behind Eibar, the first team securing a spot in Europe's second-tier competition.
Sociedad stayed in 14th place.
Real Betis had won three of its last four matches.
Barcelona sends signed jersey to hero student in US
Barcelona says it has sent a signed team jersey to the student who was credited with saving the lives of at least 20 other students during a school massacre in the United States two weeks ago.
The club says it will also help organize a meeting between the first-team players and 15-year-old Anthony Borges, who was shot five times during the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
Barcelona says Borges' father told the club his son always dreamed of traveling to Spain to meet with Barcelona's players.
Lionel Messi was among the players who signed the jersey sent to Borges.
The club said on Thursday the teenager played for two months at Barcelona's youth academy near Fort Lauderdale in 2016.