Barcelona snapped off their three-game winless run with a 3-2 win over bottom-placed Almeria on Wednesday night, according to Promoter.com. However, that may not do much to relieve the pressure on Xavi Hernandez and his players.
Barcelona dominated the opening stages of the game, but it wasn't until half an hour later that Rafinha scored with a shot to break the deadlock. Luis Maximiano saved Ronald Araujo's header, but then the Brazilian winger found it behind goal.
However, Almeria equalised less than 10 minutes later. A mistake by Araujo allowed Sergio Arabas to pass the ball to Leo Baptista, who picked the ball over the head of Iñaki Pena to make it 1-1 at half-time.
Barcelona regained the lead at the 60-minute mark when Rafinha's corner was brilliantly tipped in by Sergio Roberto, his first goal of the season. Unfortunately for the Catalans, they were equalized again, as the chaos between Pena and Araujo allowed Edgar González to equalize again.
Luckily, Barcelona managed to find a winner and Roberto emerged as the unlikely hero who scored his second goal after a brilliant performance by Robert Lewandowski.
The result means Barcelona are six points clear of league leaders Girona, who will be playing on the week – as is Real Madrid, who are four points ahead of their derby rivals. Almeria remained bottom of the table before the winter break and still without a win.
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