Barcelona secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory against Almeria at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, courtesy of late Sergi Roberto’s goal. Despite the win, the pressure on manager Xavi Hernandez and the team continue to mount, following their unconvincing outing. The match saw Barcelona dominate early on, resulting in Raphinha’s goal just after the half-hour mark. However, Almeria quickly responded with a goal from Leo Baptistao, capitalizing on a mistake from Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo to level the score at 1-1 going into halftime. 
Sergi Roberto stars in Barcelona’s 3-2 win against Almeria – Getty image In the second half, Sergi Roberto’s header off a Raphinha corner put Barcelona ahead once again, but Almeria managed to equalize for the second time following a defensive mix-up between Inaki Pena and Araujo, allowing Edgar Gonzalez to score. Despite the setback, Sergi Roberto stepped up once more, securing his brace with a crucial goal following a stellar play involving Robert Lewandowski. The victory puts Barcelona within six points of league leaders Girona, who play on Thursday, while Almeria remains at the bottom of the table without a win this season.
Manchester United and Barcelona playing a Europa match at Old Trafford. Source: Getty Barca, meanwhile, were issued a larger €500,000 ($560,700) fine “for wrongly reporting, in the financial year 2022, profits on disposal of intangible assets (other than player transfers) which are not a relevant income under the regulations.” The former European champions each earned tens of millions of euros (dollars) in UEFA prize money last season. Barcelona played in the Champions League group stage, but lost in the Europa League knockout playoffs to United, who were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage by eventual winner Sevilla. A group of storied clubs including AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain who were fined by UEFA last September, all met their stricter financial targets for last season. They will continue to be monitored for compliance over the next year. The FFP rules which Manchester United and Barcelona breached, were introduced by UEFA in 2009 to prevent football clubs from spending more than they earn in pursuit of success and risking their long-term financial health. 
Vitor Roque celebrates a goal scored for Brazil. Source: Getty Financial details were not disclosed but media reports claimed Barca agreed to a 40 million euros ($44.07 million) fee with €21 million in add-ons for the player seen as the successor to Robert Lewandowski who turns 35 next month. The deal, which will begin in 2024 and run for seven years, includes a 500m euros (£427m) buyout clause. Given the Blaugrana’s Financial Fair Play problems, Roque will not be joining the club this summer and fans will have to wait until the summer of 2024 to see the 18-year-old step out on the pitch in the club’s iconic garnet and blue colours. Barcelona have brought in Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez on free transfers this summer, with the Catalan giants still suffering from financial difficulties. 
Athletico Paranaense’s Vitor Roque celebrates scoring their first goal against Palmeiras at Allianz Parque in Sao Paulo. Source: Reuters They are currently able to spend only 50 percent of any savings or new income because of La Liga financial restrictions on clubs exceeding their spending limit, as determined by the Spanish league. Roque, one of the hottest prospects in Brazilian football, has scored six goals in his last six games. The forward made his debut for the Brazilian national team in March and can play in wider areas as well as through the middle. Roque finished as the top goalscorer at the South American Under-20 championship earlier this year with six goals as Brazil triumphed. Barcelona are still looking for a holding midfielder to replace captain Sergio Busquets, who left the club at the end of last season to join Inter Miami.