Image source: REUTERS/Miguel Vidal
Robert Lewandowski had a big night on Sunday, scoring a hat-trick to help Barcelona earn a 4-2 win over Celta Vigo in LaLiga. Young talent Lamine Yamal also scored, giving Barça a strong result and closing the gap on league leaders Real Madrid.
Earlier in the day, Real Madrid were held to a draw by Rayo Vallecano. That allowed Barcelona to move closer in the standings. Barcelona now have 28 points, just three behind Real. They also move two points ahead of Villarreal. Celta Vigo stay in 13th place with 13 points, still hoping to push for a spot in European competition later in the season.
After the game, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick praised Lewandowski, especially for the way he has bounced back after injury.
“Since his injury, I see a more positive Lewandowski,” Flick said. “He came back earlier than expected. Scoring three goals is great for his confidence. Last season he was very important for us.”
Barcelona started strong and took the lead 10 minutes in when Lewandowski scored from the penalty spot. However, Celta answered right away with a goal from Sergio Carreira just a minute later.
In the 37th minute, Lewandowski scored again, finishing a perfect cross from Marcus Rashford to make it 2-1. But Celta were not done. In the 43rd minute, Borja Iglesias hit a powerful shot off the crossbar to tie the game 2-2.
Right before halftime, Lamine Yamal gave Barcelona the lead again, calmly sending the ball into the net to make it 3-2.
Barcelona controlled most of the second half, and in the 73rd minute, Lewandowski finished his hat-trick by flicking in a corner from Rashford. That goal sealed the win.
The only downside for Barca came late in the match when Frenkie de Jong was sent off after receiving a second yellow card. Flick praised him too, saying, “He controlled the game and is playing at an incredible level. It’s tough that he’ll miss the next match, but we’ll handle it.”
Still, the team heads into the international break in a good mood. As Flick said, “It’s always better to go into the break with a win. Hopefully, everyone returns healthy.”
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