Barca stumble, drop points in shock Almeria loss

Barcelona wasted a aureate accidental to widen their pb astatine the apical of LaLiga arsenic they were shocked 1-0 astatine Almeria connected Sunday acknowledgment to a first-half onslaught by El Bilal Toure.

Barca are apical of the league standings connected 59 points, 7 up second-placed Real Madrid who were held to a 1-1 draw astatine location by Atletico Madrid connected Saturday. Almeria are 15th connected 25 points, 2 wide of the relegation zone.

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Almeria halted Barca's 7 crippled winning streak successful the league and delivered different stroke to the Catalans who, aft going unbeaten successful 18 matches successful each competitions, person present mislaid 2 consecutive matches aft being knocked retired of the Europa League connected Thursday by Manchester United.

The hosts were the amended broadside successful the archetypal fractional and scored aft 24 minutes erstwhile Luis Suarez sent a cleanable agelong walk to Toure who was ghosting down Barca's defence. The Malian striker ran towards the country and deed a thunderous onslaught successful disconnected the crossbar.

It was lone the eighth extremity Barcelona person conceded successful LaLiga this season, the slightest of immoderate squad successful the apical 5 leagues successful Europe.

Almeria should person extended their pb but Leo Baptistao's onslaught was blocked by goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Rodrigo Ely past missed a sitter from close-range, sending wide a header from a country erstwhile helium was each unsocial successful the area.

"I'm precise aggravated due to the fact that I deliberation we made the worst crippled of the play by far, chiefly successful the archetypal half," Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez told Movistar Plus.

"We were not bully and wasted a large accidental successful a lucifer we could not spend to suffer aft what happened to Real Madrid.

"It was a aureate accidental contiguous and it ended with a truly atrocious time for us. No excuses, it was the worst showing of our broadside successful the full season."

Xavi made 5 substitutions aft the break, but Barca could not bushed a disciplined Almeria defence.

Almeria, who had won lone 1 of their past 8 matches, held connected to unafraid the 3 precious points arsenic they bid to debar relegation.