Barcelona Beats Deportivo Alaves with Lewandowski’s Goal
In a tightly contested La Liga match on Sunday, Barcelona beats Deportivo Alaves 1-0 at the Olympic Stadium of Luis Companys. Polish striker Robert Lewandowski scored the only goal of the match in the 62nd minute, securing a crucial win for the Catalan giants. With this victory, Barcelona moved to 45 points, sitting in third place, just four points behind leaders Real Madrid, while Deportivo Alaves remained in 18th place with 21 points.
First Half: Barcelona Pressures Alaves but Fails to Break Through
The match began with Barcelona applying early pressure. In the 4th minute, Lamine Yamal sent in a cross to Rafinha, whose powerful shot went just wide of Alaves goalkeeper Jesus Owono’s left post.
In the 9th minute, a clash between Barcelona’s Gavi and Alaves’ Konecny left both players injured. After a brief assessment, Barcelona coach Hans Flick decided to substitute Gavi for Fermin Lopez, while Alaves also made a change, replacing Konecny with Carlos Martin Dominguez.
Lewandowski came close in the 29th minute when he capitalized on a defensive mistake, but his low shot narrowly missed the left post. Just before halftime, Pedri attempted a shot from the edge of the box, but Owono easily caught it in the 43rd minute.
Second Half: Lewandowski Scores the Decisive Goal
Barcelona started the second half strong, with Lamine Yamal delivering a cross to Lewandowski in the 46th minute. The Polish striker’s header, however, went just wide of the left post.
In the 61st minute, Barcelona broke the deadlock. Raphinha’s shot deflected off an Alaves defender and fell to Lewandowski, who made no mistake, putting the ball into the net to give Barcelona a 1-0 lead.
Alaves tried to respond, and in the 73rd minute, Ferran Torres fired a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area, but Owono made the save to keep his side in the game.
Late Attempts: Alaves Fails to Capitalize
In the 87th minute, Alaves’ Toni Martinez had a chance to equalize with a double kick attempt, but it sailed over Barcelona’s goal, failing to trouble goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Barcelona continued to control possession and saw out the match, securing all three points with a 1-0 victory.
Barcelona Beats Deportivo Alaves with Crucial Win
With this win, Barcelona beats Deportivo Alaves and maintains its push for a top finish in La Liga. Lewandowski’s clinical finish proved to be the difference, while Alaves continues to fight relegation, still in 18th place.
