Madrid, Jan 24 (BUS): Barcelona finally got things going, finding a late target to end their winless run and enter the international break on a positive note.
Barcelona struggled again, but Frenkie de Jong scored in the 87th minute to secure a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Alaves in La Liga on Sunday, to go through three consecutive games without a win that included eliminations from the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. Cup, The Associated Press reports.
The win pushed the Catalan club one point behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid in last place in the Champions League, and 15 points behind league leaders Real Madrid with a game in hand.
Madrid needed an injury-time goal from Eder Militao to secure a 2-2 draw at home against Elche. Real Madrid are four points ahead of Sevilla in the lead after a difficult day for Karim Benzema, who missed a penalty and later had to substitute it due to injury.
De Jong scored from close range to give Barcelona the much-needed victory over Alaves.
“It’s a decisive victory to keep fighting at the top,” Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said. “The international holiday will be good for us. We will be able to get some players back and work on our game.”
Barcelona have won only twice in their last 10 away matches in the league, and were equalizing in Granada when they conceded 89. Then they lost to Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals and to Athletic Bilbao in the round of 16 of the King’s Cup.
“This win gives us confidence to continue to try hard and get closer to achieving our goals,” Barcelona defender Jordi Alba said.
Barcelona were without injured Ansu Fati and also without Ousmane Dembele, who the club said was a “no-show” who had informed the team due to an upset stomach. Barcelona and Dembele have been at odds over contract negotiations.
American defender Sergio Dest has started his first game since early December after recovering from an injury and from the Corona virus.
Alaves have not won their last 10 league matches, and are second to last.
Benzema’s struggle began when he missed an opportunity from close range with only the goalkeeper to win inside the area in the first half. Moments later he had another chance to give his team the lead with a penalty kick, but the French striker sent his shot over the crossbar.
To end an unusually frustrating day, Real Madrid’s top scorer had to leave the match at 58 due to an apparent muscle injury. He grabbed the back of his left leg as he headed to the locker room. There was no immediate information about the severity of the injury.
Lucas Pouille and Per Milla scored in each half to give Elche a 2-0 lead, but Madrid came close to Luka Modric’s penalty in the 82nd minute and equalized the match with Militao’s powerful header from Vinicius Junior’s cross.
“It’s hard to bear,” Mila said. “We had Real Madrid against the ropes but we couldn’t take advantage of that.”
Vinicius, who also missed some good chances, was given a yellow card that will ban him from the next match.
Real Madrid beat Elche 2-1 in extra time on Thursday to advance to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. Eden Hazard, who scored the winning goal in extra time, returned to the starting line-up on Sunday after failing to win several minutes due to a string of injuries. Gareth Bale remained on the bench.
“We cannot be happy with the result, but there is an advantage in the way we came back to equalise,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Elche moved to five points from the relegation zone with a draw at the Santiago Bernabéu. And he was without many players due to injuries and infections from the Corona virus, including coach Francisco Rodriguez.
Real Madrid star Paco Gento, who died last week at the age of 88, was honored at the Bernabeu before the match.
Sixth-placed Getafe beat Real Sociedad with a 0-0 draw at home, while central midfielders Osasuna beat hosts Granada 2-0 to end a 10-match winning streak in the league.