Barcelona's Spanish league-record winning streak ended at 16 games with a 1-1 tie at Sporting Gijon.

David Barral put Sporting ahead in the 16th minute, going down a flank, then cutting across the penalty area to separate from Gerard Pique. He shot past goalkeeper Victor Valdes into the far corner. David Villa tied the score in the 80th, chipping goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar.

Visiting Barcelona had last failed to win in the league when it tied Malloca 1-1 on Oct. 3. Its league winning streak matched the 10th-longest in European history. Ahead of Wednesday's Champions League second-round game at Arsenal, Barcelona didn't start Pedro Rodriguez, Sergio Busquets and Eric Abidal, and Carles Puyol was sidelined with a knee injury.

"Barcelona cannot settle for a draw because we always like winning, but it is true that Sporting was better than we were in many aspects, (of the game)," said Villa, who began his career with Sporting.

Barcelona (20-1-2) has an eight-point lead over second-place Real Madrid (17-2-3), which plays Sunday at Espanyol.

"Now is when we can see the value of winning 16 straight," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said.

Also, Joaquin Sanchez scored twice to lead Valencia to a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid.