Recreativo de Huelva 2 Barcelona 2: Eto'o double saves Barça's blushes again

Barcelona's season was summed up in 90 minutes on Saturday with some lethal finishing from Samuel Eto'o, some woeful defending, some terrible luck and a complete inability to kill-off inferior opposition despite leading twice.

The result, a draw with Recreativo de Huelva, made it one win in seven games and nine points from a possible 24 for Manchester United's next Champions League opponents.

Frank Rijkaard, who could put his post-match press conferences on tape and simply let someone press play after each match, said: "We leave with the feeling that we have let more points escape. We had the chances to kill off the game but we never took them. Scoring two goals away from home should be enough to win the match but that has not been the case."

Away from the Nou Camp Barcelona have picked up 19 points from 48 this season but they looked on their way to victory when Eto'o headed in Giovani Dos Santos' cross after just two minutes. Recreativo were extremely fortunate to equalise four minutes before half-time. The former Liverpool striker Florent Sinama-Pongolle crossed and Marco Ruben headed goalwards. The Barcelona goalkeeper, Victor Valdes, smothered the effort right on the line but Ruben wheeled away with his arms aloft and the referee gave the goal.

"Even I could see that the ball did not go in and I was on the halfway line" said Eto'o, who responded by putting Barcelona back in front in the first minute of the second half. His superb control and shot from outside the area made it 14 goals in 14 games in the league for the Cameroonian striker.

For all the incompetence around him Eto'o remains clinically effective and will be a serious threat to United's defence in a week's time. As will Lionel Messi, who after 39 days out injured returned with 25 minutes left on the clock and showed no ill-effects from his lay-off, running at the heart of Recreativo's defence straight after his introduction.

With Messi back and Barça ahead it should have been a happy ending for Rijkaard's team but the self-destruct button was still there to be pressed and on 70 minutes Valdes and the left-back, Eric Abidal, pressed it.

Javier Camunas crossed from the left, Valdes came, retreated and stumbled, and Ruben, whom Abidal had allowed to get ahead of him, headed in the equaliser to seal an undeserved point for the home side.

With one eye on the semi-final first leg against United on 23 April, Rijkaard rested the young striker Bojan Krkic and Thierry Henry. Another forward who seems to have spent the whole season "rested", Ronaldinho, was meanwhile edging closer to a move to Milan.

The player has agreed a four-year deal and the Italian club's vice president, Adriano Galliani, is expected to travel to Barcelona this week. Milan hope to pay £16m; Barcelona want closer to £24m.

Recreativo de Huelva (4-4-2): Sorrentino; Bouzon, Beto, Alvarez (Moya, 46), Poli; Camuñas, Martins (Barber, 82), Vazquez, Aitor (Varela, 63); Ruben, Sinama-Pongolle.

Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes; Zambrotta, Puyol, Milito, Abidal; Xavi, Touré, Gudjohnsen (Edmilson, 66); Giovanni (Messi, 65), Eto'o, Ezquerro (Vazquez, 77).