El Bilal Toure’s 24th minute goal sealed the stunning upset of Almeria and gave Barcelona the worst loss in the Laliga season.
Despite the embarrassing defeat, Barcelona remains at the top of the La Liga standings with seven points clearance over the FIFA Club World Cup Champion Real Madrid. Barcelona wasted a lot of opportunities to capitalize and dominate the match with 13 shots on target, 73% possession, 561 passess, and with 885 pass accuracy as none of it converted to equalize or made a comeback to win the game. Follow for more Football Handicap and Predictions here!
Almeria ended their three-game losing streak and handed down Barcelona their first defeat, ending the seven-game winning streak and extended Xavi’s squad frustration after exiting the Europa League round of 16, falling over the Manchester United. Being the host, Almeria capitalized with the motivation and the home crowd and it paid off as they were the better side after Toure scored after 24 minutes with a Luis Suarez long pass.
The host had the chance to extend their lead but Leo Baptistao’s effort was denied by the goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Rodrigo Ely also missed the chance, sending a header wide from a corner when he was the lone footballer in the area.
Barcelona Manager Xavi Hernandez expressed his frustration and anger after losing this game over the underdog Laliga team like Almeria. “I’m very angry because I think we made the worst game of the season by far, mainly in the first half. We were not good and wasted a great opportunity in a match we could not afford to lose after what happened to Real Madrid,” Xavi Hernandez told reporters after the match.
“It was a golden opportunity today and it ended with a really bad day for us. No excuses, it was the worst showing of our side in the entire season.”
The Barcelona fans were expecting an easy and uncomplicated match, where they can rest their core players and still get the job finished and returned home with a huge point margin difference over their rival, the La Liga reigning champion Real Madrid. This is also the perfect time to prepare for another Clasico in a Copa del Rey semi-finals first leg against Madrid. However, the result was different and it was the Almeria team and their fans celebrating in the stands as they beat Barcelona for the first time in their club’s history, claiming crucial three points to avoid relegation.
“It really pisses me off because it was a day to take an important step and we failed,” Xavi Hernandez said. “We have no excuses. I apologize to the fans. We missed a golden opportunity.
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