Robert Lewandowski’s hat-trick helps Barcelona beat Celta Vigo 4-2, cutting Real Madrid’s La Liga lead after their goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano
BARCELONA: Robert Lewandowski’s hat-trick propelled Barcelona to a 4-2 victory over Celta Vigo in La Liga on Sunday.
The Polish striker’s treble helped Barcelona capitalise on Real Madrid’s earlier 0-0 draw at Rayo Vallecano.
Teenager Lamine Yamal also found the net for the champions in an entertaining encounter.
Marcus Rashford provided two assists in another demonstration of Barcelona’s attacking philosophy.
Frenkie de Jong received a late red card for two yellow cards but Barcelona had already secured the three points.
The victory moves Barcelona into second place, cutting Real Madrid’s lead at the top to three points.
Lewandowski described the match as “one of the craziest” of the season but expressed satisfaction with the outcome.
“Vigo is always difficult for us but now we have less points between us and Real Madrid,” Lewandowski told Movistar.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick said the hat-trick would significantly boost his striker’s confidence.
“After the injury I can see a different Robert Lewandowski, he’s positive, he came back very early,” Flick told reporters.
“For him, for his confidence, it’s great to score three goals today.”
The match began dramatically with Lewandowski converting a 10th-minute penalty after a handball incident.
Celta Vigo equalised just one minute later through Sergio Carreira, who exploited Barcelona’s high defensive line.
Lewandowski restored Barcelona’s lead on 37 minutes with a fine finish from Rashford’s cross.
Borja Iglesias quickly equalised again for the hosts with a powerful strike from the edge of the box.
Yamal gave Barcelona the halftime lead after Rashford’s deflected cross found him at the near post.
Lewandowski completed his hat-trick with a 73rd-minute header from Rashford’s corner.
The 37-year-old now has seven league goals from just four starts this season.
“We have two weeks to disconnect now but I hope when we come back we play a lot better,” said Lewandowski.
“Flick asked if I needed a rest and I said no… I felt very good physically today and I’m very happy.”
Earlier, Real Madrid dropped points for only the second time this season in their goalless draw at Rayo Vallecano.
The hosts battled strongly in the derby clash, limiting the influence of Madrid’s attacking stars.
Rayo managed to keep La Liga top scorer Kylian Mbappe quiet while containing Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.
Madrid coach Xabi Alonso remained philosophical about the result.
“I want to keep growing, improving, with positive and constructive self-criticism — this is Real Madrid, we all know where we are and what we want,” Alonso told reporters.
“We’re in November, there’s a long way to go, we need to be demanding of ourselves but also be measured.”
Rayo threatened first when Andrei Ratiu fired straight at Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Augusto Batalla made excellent saves to deny Vinicius and Bellingham throughout the match.
The hosts also created second-half opportunities through De Frutos and Alvaro Garcia.
Flick insisted Barcelona would maintain their attacking style despite recent defensive concerns.
The champions had drawn 3-3 with Club Brugge in the Champions League last Wednesday. – AFP
