Deportivo holds Barcelona

BARCELONA — Barcelona threw away a two-goal lead set up by Lionel Messi and Ivan Rakitic in the final 13 minutes as Deportivo la Coruna struck a blow to its title hopes with a 2-2 Saturday. 
Despite missing the injured Neymar, the European champion looked on course to bounce back from last weekend's 1-1 draw at Valencia, thanks to stunning strikes from Messi and Rakitic. 
However, Lucas Perez scored for the sixth consecutive game to bring Deportivo back into the game at the Nou Camp before he set up Alex Bergantinos to fire home an equalizer four minutes from time. 
Barca now leads Atletico Madrid by three points at the top of the table, but Diego Simeone's men can move joint top with victory over Athletic Bilbao Sunday.
Real Madrid, which is two points further adrift of Atletico, travels to Villarreal Sunday. 
Messi looked back to his best after a few rusty performances on his return from a two-month knee ligament injury and he nearly teed up Andres Iniesta with a sensational through ball that the Spanish international just couldn't stretch to turn home. 
The visitors frustrated Barca by denying space in behind and had a great chance to take the lead itself when Jonathan Rodriguez was played clean through, but Claudio Bravo rushed from his line to make a fine save. 
German Lux turned a Messi drive from distance behind, but there was nothing he could do to prevent the four-time World Player of the Year recording his fifth goal in as many games with a stunning free-kick that dipped into the top corner. 
Suarez was off target again with a piledriver just before the break, but it was Deportivo who made the better start to the second-half and Bravo had to be alert to claim Faycal Fajr's attempted chip. 
At the other end, Suarez's search for a goal continued as he was flagged offside as he tapped in from Jordi Alba's unselfish cross. 
Barca looked to have made the game safe with another stunning strike as Rakitic rifled the ball into the bottom corner from 25 yards for his first league goal of the season. 
Deportivo thought it was back in the game when Perez headed home after Cardoso's initial effort had come off the bar, but he was also ruled offside. 
However, Perez was not to be denied his 11th goal of the season moments later as he outmuscled Jeremy Mathieu to slot home. 
Perez was also key in teeing up the equalizer as his measured pass was blasted into the far corner by Bergantinos to stun the Camp Nou. Bayern blanks Ingolstadt Robert Lewandowski broke Ingolstadt's resistance as Bayern Munich won 2-0 Saturday to go provisionally eight points clear in the Bundesliga. 
Ingolstadt, which frustrated the home side with tenacious tackling and constant pressure, was left to rue missed chances when Lewandowski scored in the 65th minute and Bayern captain Philipp Lahm wrapped up the result 10 minutes later. 
Borussia Dortmund can reduce the gap to five points with a home win over Eintracht Frankfurt Sunday. 
Also Saturday, Hertha Berlin won 4-0 at Darmstadt to move provisionally third ahead of the late game between Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Moenchengladbach. 
Wolfsburg salvaged a 1-1 draw at home with Hamburger SV, Hoffenheim defeated Hanover 1-0 to move off the bottom, and Werder Bremen drew 1-1 with visiting Cologne. — AFP