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BARCELONA: Barcelona enjoyed a 2-0 win over Almeria on Saturday but the night belonged to defender Gerard Pique’s who was playing his last game at the Camp Nou after he announced he will retire from football when La Liga breaks for the World Cup next week.
Barca, who won with second-half goals from Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong, climbed to the top of the standings on 34 points.
After missing several chances in the first-half, including a penalty for a handball that Robert Lewandowski put wide, Dembele broke the deadlock right after the break, slotting a precise shot into the bottom corner from a counter-attack.
In the 62nd minute, De Jong was well positioned inside the area to score off a rebound from goalkeeper Fernando Martinez and wrap up the points for Barca.
It was the 35-year-old Pique’s last home game for the club, whom he has played for 616 times, and the World Cup winner will retire from football after Tuesday’s visit to Osasuna.
“Sometimes loving is letting go,” Pique told supporters in a tearful speech after the game. “I am sure in the future I will be back here again. It’s not a goodbye. I left after 17 years to get some air. My grandfather made me a club member. I was born here and I will die here. Visca Barca.”
Earlier an impressive Chimy Avila brace helped Osasuna win 2-1 at Celta Vigo and climb provisionally fifth, continuing their strong start to the season.