Barcelona’s star striker Lewandowski is in excellent form in the Spanish league, scoring a league-high 13 goals in 12 games while losing to Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Three days after exiting the Champions League at the group stage for the second consecutive year, Lewandowski’s last-ditch lunge averted Xavi Hernández’s team from further heartbreak.
When Robert Lewandowski extended his right boot and scored the game-winning goal, Barcelona was on the verge of suffering yet another defeat. Barcelona returned to the top of the Spanish La Liga 2022–23 rankings, level on points with Real Madrid, thanks to the Poland striker’s late goal against Valencia on Saturday.
When he guided a lobbed pass by Raphinha home for the late goal in Valencia, he once more atoned for his teammates’ subpar finishing. After coming on as replacements in the 85th minute, Raphinha and Ferran Torres, players Barcelona spent over 110 million euros ($110 million) to acquire over the previous year, both squandered tremendous opportunities.
Lewandowski helps Barcelona score a splendid win
Torres appeared to have received the perfect pass from Pedri González, but the former Valencia and Manchester City attacker smashed the ball with his other leg rather than placing it in the back of the net. Raphinha then smashed the rebound over the bar.
But the connection between Raphinha and the team’s new star was enough to take the three points from Mestalla Stadium. “This is a very important victory for us, above all for how we won,” Xavi said. “We played with jitters today. We tried to disconnect and move on from the Champions League, but you could see that we’re still affected. We still deserved the win, even if it came in the final seconds.” Madrid can recover the lead when it plays Girona on Sunday.
Atlético Madrid was defeated on the final touch of the ball for the second straight game, while Barcelona managed to win in the dying seconds. Rubén Sobrino’s goal soon before the final whistle helped Cádiz defeat Atlético 3-2 and eventually tip the balance of the game in their favour.
Three days before to the last-second defeat, Atlético was held to a 2-2 draw by Bayer Leverkusen, which resulted in Atlético’s group-stage elimination from the Champions League. Yannick Carrasco of Atlético saw a penalty saved, and on the game’s last kicks, two teammates attempted to score the rebound but failed.
