Almeria 1-0 Barcelona: El Bilal Toure strikes as Barcelona suffer just their second La Liga loss of the season

Almeria stunned La Liga leaders Barcelona with a 1-0 win that lifts them out of the bottom three. Breakout star El Bilal Toure continued an excellent debut season in Spain with a brilliant goal 24 minutes into the first-half. Ad The Mali international chested down a long ball, laid it off and immediately raced in behind to receive the return ball.

Taking back possession, he drove into the Barcelona box before unleashing a thunderous strike that goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen had no hope of saving. Europa LeagueScholes hails Fernandes for 'sacrifice' similar to Rooney to 'accommodate Ronaldo'23/02/2023 AT 23:39 Manager Xavi Hernandez responded to an anaemic first-half by introducing Brazil winger Raphinha at the expense of Franck Kessie. Xavi himself was booked for protesting the award of a goal-kick when he thought his side were owed a corner.

Barcelona dominated possession but after 70 minutes had still not managed a single shot on target. Ronald Araujo was sent on as an emergency centre forward, but not until the 82nd minute did second-half substitute Angel Alarcon get Barcelona’s first shot on goal. The defeat was Barcelona’s first in La Liga since the mid-October Clasico loss to Real Madrid — a 13 game run — but also marked consecutive losses following their mid-week Europa League exit at the hands of Manchester United.