Barcelona 3-2 Almeria: Man of the Match and Player Ratings

Sergi Roberto scored a brace as the Catalans won their last La Liga game of the year.

Barcelona defeated Almeria 3-2 in their La Liga game on Wednesday. A hard-fought match saw the hosts claim their first victory in four games.

What happened?

It didn’t take Barcelona very long to establish their dominance on home soil. But the Catalans had to wait until the 33rd minute to score the opener through Raphinha.

The Brazil international converted a rebound from Ronald Araujo’s header to make it 1-0. But Almeria bounced back with an equalizer only eight minutes later. Leo Baptistao’s goal was initially checked by VAR but was approved after a quick review.

Xavi sent in Ferran Torres and Jules Kounde at the beginning of the second period as Barca looked to restore their lead. Following a few missed chances, Sergi Roberto scored Barcelona’s second goal of the night to make it 2-1 just before the hour-mark.

But Barca’s defensive inconsistency allowed Almeria to get back into the game with another quick equalizer. This time, Edgar Gonzalez used Inaki Pena’s poor clearance to score his side’s second goal.

Barcelona’s pressure grew significantly after conceding the second goal as the Catalans put their opponents under pressure from both flanks. The hosts’ efforts finally paid off when Roberto completed his brace by converting Robert Lewandowski’s perfect through ball in the 83rd minute.

Barcelona vs Almeria: Man of the Match

Roberto made an excellent performance for the Catalans as they defeated Almeria on home soil. In addition to scoring two goals, the veteran star covered for the absence of key Barcelona midfielders, maintaining a perfect balance between his defensive and attacking actions.

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Player Ratings

Barcelona: Pena (5), Balde (6), Christensen (6), Araujo (6), Cancelo (8), Gundogan (7), Fermin (5), Roberto (9), Felix (6), Lewandowski (8), Raphinha (9).

Bench: Kounde (6), Torres (7), Romeu (6), Yamal (7).

Almeria: Maximiano (8), Pozo (4), Chumi (6), César Montes (5), E. Gonzalez (5), Akieme (6), Ramazani (5), Baba (6), Lopy (6), Arribas (7), Leo Baptistao (6).

Bench: Mendes (6), Lazaro (6), Embarba (5).