Late Ilkay Gundogan Punishment Keeps Barcelona Title Protection Alive At Las Palmas

Ilkay Gundogan stroked home a stoppage time punishment to get champions Barcelona a scarcely merited 2-1 win at Las Palmas on Thursday. Xavi Hernandez’s side severely expected to win after pioneers Genuine Madrid and Girona did as such on Wednesday, with triumph abandoning the Catalans seven focuses the best two. Athletic Bilbao are fourth after a strong 2-0 win at Sevilla prior Thursday, with Atletico Madrid fifth following their sensational 4-3 loss by Girona.

Barca were now and again outflanked by the mid-table Canary Islanders, who started to lead the pack through previous Blaugrana striker Munir El Haddadi in the twelfth moment.

Ferran Torres pulled Barcelona level in the last part and Gundogan got the champ from the spot after he was pushed over in the case when ready to head into a vacant net.

“In the principal half they had a few possibilities however in the final part they just had a corner,” Xavi told Movistar.

“I think we made great replacements and that told.”

Barcelona worked on after the break and put the hosts on the back foot, with Torres striking rapidly to even out the game.

The mentor welcomed on aggressors Joao Felix, Lamine Yamal and fresh debut Vitor Roque looking for the victor, taking off veteran forward Robert Lewandowski.

“Ferran generally does well for us,” proceeded with Xavi.

“There’s a great deal of contest up top and there will be minutes for every one of the players.”

Las Palmas mentor Francisco Garcia Pimienta, previously responsible for Barcelona’s save side, and his group offered their distinguished guests a to a great extent baffling evening.

Joao Cancelo hurt his left knee in a test in the initial stages and was constrained off in an early blow for the Catalans, who battled gravely in the primary half.

Xavi said after the game that Cancelo’s physical issue didn’t appear to be excessively intense and would be dissected on Friday.

Munir tucked home the opener in the wake of being set up by a low cross from Sandro Ramirez, another previous Blaugrana youth foundation item.

Inaki Pena tipped a low Sandro strike wide as the hosts had the better of the primary half with Xavi’s side looking disengaged and, surprisingly, uninvolved on occasion.

The guests’ most memorable possibility came when Frenkie de Jong sent Sergi Roberto abandoning through on objective however his pass for Ferran Torres was removed by another previous Barca player, Mika Marmol.

‘Needed timing’

Raphinha lashed over after the split as Barcelona moved forward their game, as they have done on various events this season, while Pena did well to deny Munir at the opposite end.

Barcelona evened out a little more than 10 minutes into the final part when a Las Palmas leeway quickly returned into potential harm off the accidental Robert Lewandowski.

Sergi Roberto laid the ball off for Torres to move a low exertion past the compass of Alvaro Valles.

Marmol might have sent Las Palmas ahead once more however gestured wide from a corner when very much positioned.

Xavi sent on new Barca appearance Vitor Roque for the last 12 minutes, and the Brazilian striker, endorsed from Athletico Paranaense, looked sharp.

The match was chosen when Daley Sinkgraven pushed over Gundogan to yield a punishment, as the German midfielder attempted to head home a parried strike.

Sinkgraven was excused and Gundogan sent Valles the incorrect way from the spot to keep Barcelona’s title guard alive.

Roque botched a once in a lifetime chance to score his most memorable Barcelona objective and wrap up the triumph, however his group left both victorious and eased notwithstanding.

“We realized they were an adversary that needed the ball, we were on top and significantly, we got the three focuses,” Torres told Movistar.

“They played with a high line and we needed to go after the spaces – – we needed timing with our last ball.”

Ernesto Valverde’s great Athletic Bilbao beat Sevilla with objectives from Mikel Vesga and Aitor Paredes, without charm Inaki Williams – – going to the Africa Cup of Countries with Ghana.

Sevilla, who selected new mentor Quique Sanchez Flores in December, grieve in sixteenth, only one point over the transfer zone