Sports Desk, May 17 (EFE).- Fermin Lopez scored both goals as Barcelona bolstered their chance of finishing runners-up in LaLiga and qualifying for the Spanish Super Cup next season thanks to a 2-0 win over relegated Almeria on Thursday.
The win put Barcelona four points ahead of Girona with just two matches to go in the league, meaning they will be assured of a place in the Super Cup in Saudi Arabia should they beat Rayo Vallecano at home on Sunday.
Lopez was the hero of the night on his native Andalusian coast, scoring in either half that took his tally to seven goals in LaLiga in his debut season and 10 goals in all competitions.
His first goal came just inside the quarter hour after Hector Fort’s sweet little cross found him in a position to head the ball in.
Lopez followed it with a second in the 67th minute after a fine run down the left, followed by a smooth backward pass by his captain, Sergi Roberto.
Almeria, without a single win at the Power Horse Stadium this season, appeared desperate to give their fans something to cheer about and came close to scoring on several occasions but ended up with agonizing misses.
Despite Barcelona already losing their title to Real Madrid, who took a whopping 93 points from 36 matches, 14 more than the Catalan side, coach Xavi Hernandez hailed the professional attitude of his players.
“It’s not an easy situation or a nice one,” Xavi said after the Almeira match.
“We want to fight for trophies and they have got away from us. But, I have a really professional and committed squad and we are putting in performances to make it to the Super Cup for next season,” he added.
Real Sociedad beat Valencia 1-0 thanks to Andre Silva’s three-minute strike in another crucial match of the night that took the home side to sixth place, giving them a chance to qualify for Europe next season. EFE
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