Lethal Lewandowski downs spirited Celta to boost Barcelona

Barcelona gained ground on Real Madrid in the La Liga title race on Sunday as they beat Celta Vigo 4-2 in a thrilling clash at Estadio Abanca-Balaidos.

La Blaugrana wasted no time racing into an early lead courtesy of a penalty from veteran striker Robert Lewandowski, though Los Celestes responded in kind with an equaliser almost immediately, when Sergio Carreira took advantage of the visitors’ poor offside trap.

However, it did not take long for Hansi Flick’s side to regain the lead, as Lewandowski added a second around 25 minutes later – tapping home from a Marcus Rashford cross.

Claudio Giraldez’s men were not willing to give up that easily, though, and Borja Iglesias blasted a powerful strike from the edge of the box beyond the hapless Wojciech Szczesny to restore parity.

The back-and-forth even continued into first-half stoppage time, when Lamine Yamal latched onto a diverted Rashford cross to score with an effort that Ionut Radu could only palm into his own goal.

The second 45 saw a more controlled display from Flick’s side, though Lewandowski completed his hat-trick with a fantastic header 20 minutes from time, before Frenkie De Jong saw red late on after picking up a second yellow card.

SPORTS MOLE’S VERDICT

Sunday’s defeat saw Celta Vigo’s eight-game unbeaten streak – and five-match winning run – come to an end, though they put up a commendable fight against one of the strongest attacking forces around.

Los Celestes are now 13th in the table, three points above Girona in the relegation zone, but they will have their sights set on pushing upwards towards the likes of sixth-placed Espanyol in the European spots.

As for Barcelona, it was crucial that they won this weekend after Real drew, and Flick will be delighted to see his team reduce the deficit in the title race to just three points.

However, La Blaugrana lost De Jong to suspension, leaving them light in midfield given that they will also be without Pedri and Gavi for their clash with Athletic Bilbao after the international break.

On a more positive note, Lewandowski marked his first start for Barcelona since recovering from a hamstring injury with a hat-trick, and his influence will be vital as the Catalan giants pursue silverware in 2025-26.

CELTA VIGO VS. BARCELONA HIGHLIGHTS

10th min: Celta Vigo 0-1 Barcelona (Robert Lewandowski)

Lewandowski runs up in a stuttered pattern and aims for the bottom-right corner but does not quite get the direction that he wanted on the strike.

Goalkeeper Radu gets a solid hand on the ball, but luckily for the Polish centre-forward, his effort bounces under the shot stopper and up into the roof of the net.

11th min: Celta Vigo 1-1 Barcelona (Sergio Carreira)

Rashford sees a one-on-one chance saved by Radu, and Celta spring a counter attack immediately.

Flick’s high-line and offside trap then fails to stop Iglesias playing a simple pass around the corner to cut out the entire Barcelona backline, sending Carreira through on goal, and the Los Celestes wing-back dribbles to the box and slots home into the bottom-left corner.

37th min: Celta Vigo 1-2 Barcelona (Robert Lewandowski)

Alejandro Balde works the ball out wide to Rashford on the left flank, and the Manchester United loanee cuts inside before picking out Lewandowski with an excellent cross.

Barcelona’s number nine then hits a side-footed first-time volley through the goalkeeper’s legs from six-yards out to put his team back in front.

43rd min: Celta Vigo 2-2 Barcelona (Borja Iglesias)

Ferran Jutgla dribbles up the right wing before playing a perfectly weighted ball to the edge of the box, where Iglesias runs onto it and fires a powerful strike high into the middle of the net to equalise! 

45+4 mins: Celta Vigo 2-3 Barcelona (Lamine Yamal)

Rashford drives towards the left-hand touchline and pulls a low cross back towards the penalty spot, and after the ball takes a touch off a Celta defender, Yamal reacts quickly and aims a right-footed effort at the near-post, giving Radu little time to react.

73 mins: Celta Vigo 2-4 Barcelona (Robert Lewandowski)

Lewandowski completes his hat-trick!

Rashford swings in a corner from the left-hand side, and the 37-year-old centre-forward meets the cross at the edge of the six-yard box, glancing a header into the bottom-right corner.

90+4 mins: Frenkie De Jong (Barcelona) red card

MAN OF THE MATCH – ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI

The Barcelona striker made his first start after recovering from a hamstring injury and fired a hat-trick to pull his club through an important game.

Notably, Lewandowski remained sharp and efficient as ever, scoring three times from just 28 touches – the fewest of any outfield player to play the full 90 minutes on Sunday.

CELTA VIGO VS. BARCELONA MATCH STATS

Possession: Celta Vigo 39%-61% Barcelona

Shots: Celta Vigo 5-21 Barcelona

Shots on target: Celta Vigo 3-9 Barcelona

Corners: Celta Vigo 2-3 Barcelona

Fouls: Celta Vigo 13-10 Barcelona

WHAT NEXT?

After the international break, Celta will be back in La Liga action when they travel to face Alaves on November 22, while Barcelona will host Athletic Bilbao for a top flight clash on the same day. ID:585466:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect11226:No Data Analysis info