Alba's stinging injury-time volley snatched a 2-1 victory for Barca on the Benito Villamarin to make certain they may play in the Champions League next term, an achievement that is probable to be critical to the membership's hopes of financial healing.
When Xavi Hernandez took over as teach in November, Barcelona lay ninth in La Liga, with real issues about their chances of closing the distance on the top 4.
But, regardless of a latest dip in form, vast improvements have seen Xavi's team surge up the table and they can now look forward to rejoining the likes of Real Madrid in Europe's most desirable match next season.
The distinction between Champions League and Europa League soccer might be worth greater than 50 million euros to Barcelona, who commenced the season with money owed of greater than one thousand million euros, and after being forced to let Lionel Messi go away for free final summer time.
Missing out on the financial rewards of the Champions League might were unthinkable and even as a trophyless season can never remember as a fulfillment for Barca, finishing in the pinnacle four is an outstanding success for Xavi and a big comfort for the membership.
Victory leaves Barcelona second within the desk, eleven points clean of Betis in fifth, with each groups having three video games left to play. Barca should now be confident of clinching second vicinity too, with five points the distance between them and Sevilla, who play at Villarreal on Sunday.
Betis gave the look of they had sealed a factor after Marc Bartra headed in an equaliser in the 78th minute, 3 mins after Ansu Fati had come off the bench to give Barcelona the lead. Alba, though, fired in at the returned submit to assert all 3 factors for the visitors.
Fati's goal changed into his first within the league on the grounds that November because the 19-yr-old maintains his modern-day recovery from every other lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The youngster in short returned in January from a hamstring injury that has kept him out for the satisfactory a part of six months, at the again of his nightmare eleven months out with a knee hassle among November 2020 and September remaining 12 months.
