Xavi Hernandez‘s side ended 2023 with a win thanks to Sergi Roberto’s double and a first-half goal from Raphinha
Barcelona base out an uncompelling 3- 2 home palm against basement club Almeria on Wednesday thanks to a late Sergi Roberto thing, moving them up to third in La Liga. Xavi Hernandez’s side ended 2023 with a palm thanks to Sergi Roberto’s double and a first- half thing from Raphinha. doubly the 20th- placed callers pegged back the Catalan titans courtesy of pretensions from Leo Baptistao and Edgar Gonzalez but it was ultimately the home platoon who held out to claim the pillages. The opening 45 twinkles threw up several good chances for both sides as Barcelona set about methodically trying to break down the callers.
It was nearly an early set- piece that did the trick for the Catalans when captain Sergi Roberto was left each alone in the centre of the box but’ keeper Luis Maximiano did exceptionally well to keep out his headed trouble.
The hosts also got a warning shot at the other end after Ronald Araujo missed a cross and Joao Cancelo desperately had to intermediate to block Largie Ramazani’s trouble in the 13th nanosecond.
Raphinha opened the scoring on 33 twinkles when weak Almeria defending, again from a corner, allowed Araujo to get a title goal wards, Maximiano made another fine stop but was unfit to do anything about Raphinha’s lashed answer.
Now in the lead, Xavi’s charges took their bottom off the pedal, yet they nearly got a alternate when Robert Lewandowski was blessed the ball in the box by a protector and only another excellent Maximiano save denied him.
This drop in intensity did also prove to be their death as just eight twinkles latterly, Leo Baptistao shocked them with an equaliser.
A protective error by Araujo let Sergio Arribas slip the Brazilian striker through and his dinked finish over Inaki Pena snappily redounded in the adjunct’s flag being raised.
Originally out- side before in the move, VAR renewals showed he’d got back onside by the time Arribas played him the ball.
Xavi chimed the changes at half- time and transferred on Ferran Torres and Jules Kounde in place of Joao Felix and Andreas Christensen.
Torres had an instant impact, working the Portuguese breach with a establishment strike three twinkles after half- time.
Despite this injection of pace, the home side still looked sluggish.
Poor set- piece defending gave Barca the chance they demanded to get back in front on the hour mark, Sergi Roberto meeting a corner at the near post and heaving a title over the goalkeeper’s dive into the far corner.
The alternate thing appeared to have knocked the filling out of the 20th- placed side but a gift from Pena got them back in it, when he dropped a launched free- kick at Edgar’s bases and the protector gleefully rolled the ball into the unguarded net.
Barca had a golden chance to win the game with just over 10 twinkles remaining, but first Lewandowski also Ilkay Gundogan were unfit to make sufficient contact with their heads when the thing was peering before them.
But it was Sergi Roberto, in just his fifth appearance of the season, that handed the winning thing for the Spanish titleholders when he burst onto Lewandowski’s launched pass in the 83rd nanosecond and slotted once Maximiano.
Five twinkles latterly, Pena atoned for his earlier error by making a great kickback save from an Iddrisu Baba title as his side stumbled over the line in a topsy- turvy hassle.
Latterly, Athletic Bilbao went position on points with fourth- place Atletico Madrid after beating Las Palmas 1- 0 and near the bottom of the table, Rafael Benitez’s Celta Vigo lost 3- 2 at Villarreal. Know More Latest Football News…
