Barcelona ascended to third place in La Liga with a hard-fought 3-1 triumph over Deportivo Alaves on Saturday evening, overcoming off-field turmoil surrounding Xavi’s impending departure.
Despite the questionable dismissal of January signing Vitor Roque, who received two quick bookings, Barcelona held on for the victory.
The game unfolded with an early scare for Barcelona as Pau Cubarsi’s challenge on Alex Sola almost resulted in a penalty, but the flag was raised for offside, sparing the defender. Barca then faced defensive challenges, with Sola’s cross turned behind for a corner.
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Barcelona’s initial opportunity came when Frenkie de Jong delivered a cross following a corner, finding the run of captain Ronald Araujo, but his header was blocked heroically by Rafa Marin.
In the second half, Barcelona took the lead through Robert Lewandowski, who was set up by Ilkay Gundogan after a combination involving Pedri and De Jong. However, Alaves swiftly pulled one back as Samu Omorodion’s header, assisted by Sola, wrong-footed Barcelona’s goalkeeper Inaki Pena.
Shortly after, substitute Vitor Roque restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage with a close-range finish after a well-executed buildup involving Lamine Yamal and Hector Fort.
However, Roque’s joy was short-lived as he received two yellow cards within ten minutes, leading to his dismissal. Despite Alaves creating a couple of stoppage-time chances, Barcelona managed to secure the victory.