Sunday 06/11/2022 06:20(GMT+7)
In the match between Barca and Almeria in round 13 of La Liga, the home team won 2-0 thanks to goals from Ousmane Dembele and De Jong. With this result, Barca temporarily surpassed Real to climb to the top of the table.
Final result Barca vs Almeria (2-0)
Goals: Dembele (48'), De Jong (62')
The Camp Nou field was almost packed with spectators, and many of them held signs of support, gratitude and chanted Pique's name, despite booing and criticizing him a few weeks ago. Barca members also took to the field to warm up with a special shirt with Pique's name printed on the back, and the word Sempr3 - a pun on the number 3 shirt associated with the Spanish midfielder - on the chest to honor teammates.
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Pique said goodbye to the fans on the last time he wore a Barca shirt.
In the final game of his career, Pique wore the captain's armband, starting before making way for Andreas Christensen in the 85th minute. He touched the ball 76 times, passed with 94% accuracy, cleared the ball three times, tackled twice and blocked one. Almeria's shot. Pique had one shot left - a header that went over the bar from Ousmane Dembele's right-wing corner in the 13th minute.
The 35-year-old centre-back even had a chance to score when Barca was awarded a penalty in the 7th minute. After going to the border to review the video, referee Pablo Gonzalez determined that Ferran Torres had hit his head on Kaiky Melo's hand. Robert Lewandowski wanted Pique to kick 11m, but the midfielder refused. Lewandowski was still in charge, and he jumped, kicked the left post and went all the way to the goal line.
In the 83rd minute, when the referee announced that Pique had left the field, all the fans at Camp Nou and Barca members stood up and applauded the Spanish midfielder. They surrounded and hugged Pique one by one, making him burst into tears. An era ended at Camp Nou after 15 seasons, as Pique played 616 for Barca, winning three Champions Leagues, eight La Ligas, seven Kings Cups, six Spanish Super Cups, three European Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cup.
Two days earlier, Pique suddenly announced her decision to retire via social networks, instead of holding a press conference as proposed by president Joan Laporta. He also pledged to be a loyal fan, always supporting Barca, passing on the love of the team to his children and promising to return to Barca soon in another position.
Dembele contributed 1 goal to Barca's victory
Yesterday, Barca dominated when controlling the ball 70%, finishing 27 times with 13 shots on target - compared to 4 and 1 of the visitors. Almeria's most significant opportunity came in the 28th minute, when Largie Ramazani penetrated the penalty area and put his right foot, but failed to beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the face-to-face position.
Barca finished 16 times in the first half, but only found a goal in the second half. In the 48th minute, Dembele received the ball on the right wing, burst into the penalty area and then sank to the far corner, leaving goalkeeper Fernando Martinez stuck. The home side set the score in the 62nd minute with Frenkie De Jong's close-to-the-wall kick.
The 2-0 victory helped Barca take the top spot for at least 24 hours before Real - the team met Rayo Vallecano in a late match on November 7. Barca also has a trip to Osasuna's stadium on November 8, before the season is paused to make room for the 2022 World Cup.
Line-ups for Barca vs Almeria
Barca: Ter Stegen, Alonso, Pique (Christensen 85), Alba, Balde, Busquets (Gavi 68), De Jong, Pedri, Lewandowski, Torres (Fati 61), Dembele (Raphinha 68).
Almería: Martinez, Ely (Eguaras 68), Brandariz, Kaiky (Babic 46), Akieme, Mendes, Costa, Melero (Puigmal 69), Robertone (Portillo 79), Ramazani, Baptistao (Sousa 46).
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