Barca hits new high in lows with loss at Granada

Barcelona's nightmare week hit a new low when it followed up its Champions League exit with a shock 1-0 defeat at Granada on Saturday that left its bid for a fifth La Liga title in six years in serious jeopardy.

After Atletico Madrid dumped it out of Europe's elite club competition on Wednesday, Barca sought a morale-boosting domestic win that would have put it two points clear at the top ahead of Atletico, which plays at Getafe on Sunday.

However, the Spanish champion again looked lethargic and short on ideas against a club with a fraction of its resources and surrendered second place to archrival Real Madrid, which thumped struggling Almeria 4-0 at the Bernabeu to draw level on 79 points with Atletico.