Barcelona’s loss to Almeria gives Real Madrid a lifeline
Barcelona missed the chance to open up a 10-point lead at the top of LaLiga after a shock 1-0 defeat against Almeria, their second loss in the league this season.
– LaLiga: Standings | Schedule | Statistics
El Bilal Toure scored the only goal of the game in the 24th minute, finishing brilliantly after latching on to a good pass from Luis Suarez.
Barca threw everything at Almeria in the second half but only managed one shot on goalkeeper Fernando Martinez, as the home side moved out of the relegation zone with the win.
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Rapid reaction
1. Barcelona hand Real Madrid lifeline
The title race in Spain looked almost over on Saturday when Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw against 10-man Atletico Madrid. A Barca win over Almeria would have opened up a 10-point gap at the top of the table in the process.
– Copa del Rey Clasico! Barcelona vs. Real Madrid on ESPN+
However, Almeria had other ideas. Barca had over 70% possession, but Rubi’s side created the better chances. Toure’s goal was brilliant. The striker chested down a long ball to Suarez, who picked out a lovely pass behind Barca’s defence for Toure to latch on to and hammer home off the underside of the bar. It was almost two minutes later when Leo Baptistao’s effort was tipped behind by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Xavi Hernandez exhausted his five changes after the break, but nothing worked. Barca mostly resorted to playing wide and looking to cross to Robert Lewandowski — and later makeshift forward Ronald Araujo. Their cushion ahead of the Clasico at Camp Nou on March 19 is down to seven points for now.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
2. Barcelona’s depth tested with minds elsewhere
Barcelona failed to respond to Thursday’s Europa League elimination against Manchester United as they suffered just their second defeat in LaLiga this season — and their first since losing to Madrid in October.
Perhaps their minds were caught between that loss to United and Thursday’s Copa del Rey semifinal…
