Robert Lewandowski hit a hat-trick to help Barcelona beat Celta Vigo 4-2 on Sunday in La Liga, reducing Real Madrid’s lead to just three points.
The veteran Polish striker’s treble was key for Hansi Flick’s side, who capitalized on Madrid’s 0-0 draw earlier at Rayo Vallecano. Teenager Lamine Yamal also found the net for Barcelona in a thrilling encounter, while Marcus Rashford continued to impress with two more assists.
Despite some recent struggles, including a 3-3 draw with Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday, Flick insisted Barcelona would not change their attacking style. This approach produced a frenetic first half at Balaidos.
Barcelona took the lead early through a Lewandowski penalty on 10 minutes after Marcos Alonso handled Fermin Lopez’s shot. However, Celta quickly equalized just a minute later. Rashford missed a one-on-one chance after being set up by Lopez, and Celta then broke away to score. Exploiting Barcelona’s high defensive line, Sergio Carreira sprinted behind the defense and calmly beat goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
With several key players missing due to injury—including Pedri, Raphinha, and Joan Garcia—Flick urged his team to show extra fight. This determination was evident as Ilaix Moriba blocked Lopez’s shot, Rashford’s follow-up hit the post, and Celta keeper Ionut Radu denied Lewandowski at close range.
Lewandowski, looking back to his best form, scored his second goal from a precise Rashford cross on 37 minutes, putting Barcelona ahead again. Although Radu might have done better, the shot found the back of the net. Celta responded swiftly through Borja Iglesias, who fired a powerful shot over Szczesny to equalize just two minutes before halftime.
Before the break, Barcelona reclaimed the lead when Rashford’s deflected cross found teenage star Yamal, who calmly beat Radu at his near post.
The second half was more controlled, with fewer scoring chances. Barcelona dominated possession while Celta, trailing, were forced to sit back. Lewandowski completed his hat-trick in the 73rd minute, heading in from Rashford’s corner to give Barcelona a two-goal cushion.
This marked Lewandowski’s seventh league goal of the season in just four starts, demonstrating that his finishing remains sharp at 37 despite an injury-hit campaign start. Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, has filled in admirably for the injured Raphinha, now providing seven La Liga assists.
Late in the game, Yamal nearly added a fifth for Barcelona but his low shot struck the post after beating the goalkeeper. On a less positive note, Frenkie de Jong was sent off in stoppage time after receiving a second yellow card for stepping on Iago Aspas’ foot.
Barcelona’s victory ended a run of just two away wins in their last 10 league games at Balaidos and gave Flick and his team a valuable confidence boost ahead of the upcoming international break.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/lewandowski-treble-helps-barca-beat-221037959.html