Summary Athletic Bilbao registered a 1-0 victory over Barcelona in the Spanish league.
BARCELONA (AP) - Barcelona lost its second straight game without injured star Lionel Messi Sunday when Athletic Bilbao handed the defending Spanish league champions a 1-0 loss at San Mames.
Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute after Bilbao s incessant pressure recovered the ball and sparked a counterattack inside Barcelona s half.
Neymar was once again tagged to pick up Messi s goal-scoring duties, but when he wasn t frustrated by slippery footing Bilbao s defense got the better of him.
Barcelona was left level on points with Atletico Madrid and three points ahead of Real Madrid after both title rivals won on Saturday.
Barcelona lost its first game of the season on Tuesday at Ajax in the Champions League. It hadn t suffered consecutive defeats since March.
