European football: Barcelona edge past Almería, Harry Kane hits Bayern winner
Two second-half goals from Sergi Roberto rescued a 3-2 home win for Barcelona against the bottom side Almería in La Liga on Wednesday.
Barcelona dominated the first half but squandered the vast majority of their 15 chances – five of them on target. Raphinha did put the hosts in front in the 33rd minute, netting a rebound from close range, after Luís Maximiano had saved Ronald Araújo’s header from a corner.
The visitors equalised shortly before half-time when Leo Baptistão scored with a chipped finish, awarded after a VAR check for offside. Roberto restored their lead on the hour, nodding home a corner, but Almería, who are winless in the league, levelled again 11 minutes later as Edgar González pounced on Iñaki Peña’s error.
With time running out, Roberto struck again to earn victory, nutmegging Maximiano from close range to move Barça above Atlético Madrid into third place. Elsewhere, Villarreal climbed away from danger with a 3-2 home win over struggling Celta, while Unai Gómez struck in stoppage time to earn Athletic Bilbao victory over Las Palmas.
Bayer Leverkusen go into the Bundesliga’s winter break in top spot after Patrik Schick’s first-half hat-trick set up a 4-0 victory against Bochum. Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten side took half an hour to make the breakthrough from Schick’s penalty, but the Czech striker quickly added a second from Jérémie Frimpong’s low cross.
Schick struck again just before half-time, heading home Álex Grimaldo’s corner. Leverkusen added a fourth goal through the substitute Victor Boniface in the 69th minute, and stay four points clear of Bayern Munich, who have a game in hand, after Harry Kane earned the Bavarians a hard-fought 2-1 win at Wolfsburg.
Jamal Musiala fired Thomas Tuchel’s side into
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