Robert Lewandowski has not scored a goal for Barcelona since September 28, and the striker ended the drought with a goal hat trick Tonight in Balaidos against Celta after recovering from his ruptured fibroid. In the first match in which Flick was given the start – in which he played 17 minutes against Elche in the league and 33 minutes against Brugge in the Champions League – the Polish footballer scored a penalty and scored two headed goals to end the resistance of the Vigo side, who to date have gone on a run of eight consecutive matches without losing and five consecutive victories. “We are very happy to win here. Figo for us is always difficult. The most important thing is that we won and closed two points with Real Madrid,” the striker said after the win and draw with the white club in Vallecas.
With the three goals, Lewandowski now has seven league goals, two more than teammate Ferran Torres, and is tied with Julian Alvarez as the tournament’s second-highest scorer, behind Kylian Mbappé (13). The recovery of Polish striker and Dani Olmo, who after a month returned to the starting lineup on Sunday after overcoming a sole problem in his left leg, is key for a Barcelona side that suffered from an injury epidemic at the start of the season.
Flick’s team has won only three of its last seven matches and, above all, has given a very weak image in defense through its inability to control the missing pressure. Last year, Celta Giraldes was one of the teams that caused the most damage with its quick transitions to break the offside trap by starting its players from the second line. In Barcelona, the Olympic team led 1-3 with three wonderful counterattacks, but the Blaugrana was able to come back in stoppage time (4-3) from a penalty kick from Rafinha.
Giraldes’ attractive side succeeded in punishing Barca’s defensive backs tonight, but Barca were more intense and tight than in previous matches to stifle their opponents’ ball runs and transitions. Sergio Carrera beat Chesney one-on-one after starting from his home field and forming a massive blocking wall with Borja Iglesias, but the light blue players were not able to dismantle Barca’s defensive network with the same ease in the second 45 minutes. The Polish explained: “In the first half, Celta played very well, with two or three more passes to score and avoid offside.”
In a press conference, Flick celebrated the victory and stated that he was really happy with the image that Barcelona left before the national team break: “I’m very happy, and I really appreciate what I saw today. Although there were more mistakes in the first half than in the second half, the game was very good, with a lot of ball control. The second half gives us confidence for the next matches. This was what we needed.”
Lewandowski, who completed hat trick In the 74th minute with a stunning header after a corner kick by Rashford, he also pointed to the improvement the team showed in the second half: “The game was more under control, but in the first half Celta scored goals very easily. We talked in the first half about what we can improve, about how we can play better, and the fourth goal was also very important to play with patience and calm. Now we can go to the national team and come back with a different desire. It’s an ideal time to change things.” It doesn’t work well.”
The striker said that Flick asked him if he wanted to rest after scoring the third goal, but he replied that he was fine and wanted to play for 90 minutes. Lewandowski today completed his first full match for Barcelona since October 5 in the defeat to Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan, missing a penalty. A month later, the Pole finally found the door. Flick celebrated, saying: “After the injury, I was able to see a different Robert Lewandowski. He is very positive, and it is very good for his confidence and for us that he scored three goals.”
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