
Espanyol held city rival Barcelona to a 0-0 draw in Saturday's La Liga matchup between the pair.

Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar (R) controls the ball past RCD Espanyol's Paraguayan midfielder Hernan Perez in what was a closely fought game.

Lionel Messi struck the crossbar with a free kick for Barcelona just before halftime.

The Argentine forward suffered a frustrating afternoon against a determined opponent.

Barcelona's Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic (L) vies for possession with Espanyol's Spanish defender Alvaro Gonzalez.

Neymar was another of Barca's stars that struggled to get behind a determined Espanyol rearguard.

Espanyol players salute the club's fans at the final whistle.