Barcelona saw off a stubborn Almeria side at home to send Gerard Pique into retirement with a win.
Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong scored goals in the second half during the 2-0 win but the night was always going to belong to Pique who was playing his last game at Camp Nou after announcing he will retire from football when the league breaks for the World Cup next week.
Captaining the side, he almost put his side up in the first half with two towering headers but Barcelona’s half was punctuated by wastefulness highlighted by Robert Lewandowski’s penalty miss.
Ousmane Dembele finally got the opener in the 48th minute when he finished off a counter-attack with a precise shot into the back of the net.
De Jong then put the game on ice in the 62nd minute when he scored off a rebound after goalkeeper Fernando Martinez fluffed his lines.
With the game in the bag, Pique was substituted in the 83rd minute, walking off the pitch in tears to a standing ovation from the 92,605 fans – the highest attendance at Camp Nou so far this season – who packed the stadium to say goodbye to a club great.
The win over Almeria takes Barcelona two points ahead of Real Madrid with 34 from 13 games while Carlo Ancelloti’s side still has a game in hand.
