Barcelona pips Alavés thanks to Lewandowski’s goal

Barcelona secured their second consecutive La Liga win, defeating Deportivo Alavés 1-0 at Camp Nou. The hard-fought victory marks the first time Barcelona have achieved back-to-back league wins since early November. The win keeps Barcelona in contention for the title, closing the gap to leaders Real Madrid to four points.

The match got off to a lively start, with Lamine Yamal embarking on an impressive run past five defenders in the fourth minute. Yamal’s effort ultimately came to nothing, as Raphinha’s shot went narrowly wide. The game was then halted due to a nasty clash of heads between Tomás Conechny and Gavi, resulting in both players being substituted after 14 minutes.

Despite dominating possession, Alavés struggled to create scoring opportunities, frequently falling victim to Barcelona’s offside trap. The hosts, meanwhile, had to wait until the 43rd minute for their first goalbound effort, which came courtesy of Pedri’s shot being well caught by Jesús Owono.

The breakthrough finally arrived on the hour mark, courtesy of Robert Lewandowski’s 30th goal in all competitions this season. Lewandowski fired into the roof of the net after a clever combination of passes involving Pedri and Yamal. The goal proved to be the winner, as Alavés failed to muster a response in the second half.

The victory marks Barcelona’s 13th league win in 15 meetings against Alavés. Meanwhile, the visitors suffered their first away league defeat under Eduardo Coudet and remain rooted in the relegation zone, two points shy of safety.

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona will look to build on their momentum, while Alavés will aim to bounce back from their disappointing defeat. The German manager said the game had two different shades in both halves but praised Frenkie de Jong for his influence.

“I think the first half was choppy with the injuries; we couldn’t get into the game. At halftime, we said we needed to pass much faster. At halftime, we thought we needed better ball circulation. Frenkie de Jong, with the ball, helped us a lot.” Flick said.

The win sets Barcelona up nicely for their upcoming fixtures as they seek to maintain pressure on league leaders Real Madrid.