BARCELONA (AP) — Robert Lewandowski shone during the complement by scoring the hat trick with which Barcelona turned the score around to beat visiting Valencia 4-2 on Monday and regain second place in the Spanish League.
Three of the four Barça goals fell with headers. Fermín López opened the scoring in the 22nd minute by combing through a Raphinha cross.
Lewandowski reached 16 goals in the championship — and 23 in all competitions — with his second-half display.
Xavi Hernández’s team returned to its triumphant path after losing in the classic against the leader Real Madrid. They will visit Girona next weekend — third with 71 points — in a duel in which second place will be at stake.
“We knew that in the second half we had to play faster. You had to find free space. Now we are fine and we can think about the game against Girona,” said Lewandowski.
The victory left Barça in second place with 73 points, 11 behind Madrid, which could be crowned the next day if the results are in place. There are five dates left to play.
Lewandowski scored his first goal of the night with a cross header after a corner kick in the 49th minute and scored his second with his head after a bad rebound from goalkeeper Jaume Doménech in the 82nd. The Polish striker sealed his first hat trick of the season with a masterful free kick in the third minute of added time.
“If the whole team plays well offensively for me, it’s easier,” Lewandowski said.
Valencia, for its part, stagnated in eighth position with 47 points.
The visitors momentarily dreamed of the bell when they turned the score around. Hugo Duro leveled the score in the 27th minute after taking advantage of a blunder in an attempted clearance by goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.
The Che team went ahead with a penalty from Pepelu in the 38th minute, after Ronald Araujo knocked down Peter Federico in the area.
The duel became difficult for Valencia when they were left with 10 men due to the expulsion of goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili in stoppage time of the first half after committing a handball outside the area after a theft of the ball by Lamine Yamal.
This meeting took place after on Friday president Joan Laporta confirmed Xavi’s continuity on the bench for the next campaign.
Hernández had announced on January 27 that he would leave the team’s technical direction on June 30, when the season ends, after suffering a 5-3 comeback defeat against Villarreal at home.
Source: AP
2024-04-30 05:34:44
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