Relegation-threatened Almeria stunned league-leading Barcelona with a 1-0 win – the membership’s first-ever victory towards the Catalan giants – on Sunday night.
El Bilal Toure’s first-half objective was sufficient to earn Almeria three factors which helped the hosts out of the drop zone. Barcelona, conversely, missed the prospect to increase their lead at La Liga’s summit to double digits after Real Madrid’s attract Saturday’s derby.
Despite beginning the day in nineteenth, Almeria have confirmed to be powerful opposition on the formidably named Power Horse Stadium, amassing extra factors at house than Atletico Madrid. The hosts lived as much as their fame, unsettling Barcelona with an early squall of stress earlier than taking the lead within the twenty fourth minute.
Toure fought off Andreas Christensen to cushion an extended ball all the way down to his strike associate Luis Suarez (not that one). Toure span behind Barcelona’s befuddled centre-back to obtain a return go, crashing the opening objective off the underside of the bar.
It was the primary time Barcelona had trailed in a league sport since November.
Barcelona boos Xavi Hernandez warned that Almeria’s steady ‘is a troublesome floor’ earlier than the match however spent a lot of the build-up making an attempt to minimize the impression of the membership’s Europa League elimination towards Manchester United in midweek.
Based on a timid show from the guests, it appeared as although Xavi’s message hadn’t penetrated his personal squad. Barcelona did not power Fernando Martinez right into a single save till the 81st minute, hampered by hesitancy when confronted with Almeria’s low block.
Xavi turned to his bench through the interval, ditching the four-man box-midfield to inject Raphinha’s tempo on the flanks.
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Yet, the Brazilian endured the identical struggles confronted by his colleagues towards a very cussed Almeria facet. Rubi, the house supervisor who spent a season on Barcelona’s teaching employees, had his workforce in a resolute rearguard which allowed valuable little house between the traces for the visiting gold shirts, shuttling right into a again 5 to match the numbers the Blaugrana threw ahead.
By the top of a blunt contest, Xavi’s college of short-passing have been diminished to tossing crosses into the field. Ronald Araujo, introduced on to guard a painfully pedestrian backline which began the match, got here closest to discovering the online, glancing a few headers large and inflicting the primary whispers of uncertainty by his hulking presence as an auxiliary centre-forward within the closing exchanges.
In the top, Adrian Embarba squandered a golden probability to wrap up a historic victory in stoppage time, firing into Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s midriff as Almeria received one more second ball from an extended punt ahead.
However, it proved irrelevant. Almeria’s resolve wouldn’t waver, consigning Barcelona to their second La Liga lack of the season, their first reverse because the Clasico towards Real Madrid in October.
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 6/10 – Could scarcely have finished something concerning the venemous effort that whizzed previous him however smothered set-piece efforts to maintain the rating down elsewhere.
RB: Sergi Roberto – 3/10 – Betrayed his pure place as a midfielder by leaving far an excessive amount of house between himself and his nearest centre-back for the opening objective.
CB: Andreas Christensen – 3/10 – Bullied and buffeted round by Toure as the absence of Ronald Araujo’s superior anticipation and power was felt.
CB: Eric Garcia – 3/10 – Underwhelming on the ball and unconvincing off it.
LB: Jordi Alba – 6/10 – Regularly broke into that acquainted Billy Whizz operating model along with his head tipped again and arms pumping as Alba offered all of Barcelona’s width down the left.
CM: Franck Kessie – 5/10 – Playing the versatile superior midfield function vacated by the injured Pedri, Kessie struggled to exert an affect on proceedings earlier than getting hooked at half-time.
CM: Sergio Busquets – 4/10 – So typically hailed as the grasp of a tactical foul, Busquets was compelled right into a raft of mistimed tackles which have been hardly deliberate.
CM: Frenkie de Jong – 5/10 – Lubricated Barcelona’s build-up by dropping alongside Busquets.
RW: Ferran Torres – 4/10 – An nameless outing deflated a whole lot of the promise constructed from his show towards Cadiz final weekend.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – 4/10 – Repeatedly darted behind Almeria’s backline however both wasn’t picked out or failed to manage the balls performed to him.
LW: Gavi – 5/10 – Buzzed across the high of the pitch with out a lot consequence earlier than he was extra concerned following the half-time reshuffle.
Substitutes
Raphinha (46′ for Kessie) – 4/10 – Couldn’t choose his manner by Almeria’s blockade.
Ronald Araujo (67′ for Garcia) – 6/10
Marcos Alonso (67′ for Alba) – 5/10
Angel Alarcon (76′ for Busquets) – N/A
Pablo Torre (76′ for Roberto) – N/A
Manager
Xavi Hernandez – 4/10 – Could hardly be accused of watching on passively, frantically altering Barcelona’s form on quite a few events – although with out the specified impact.
