Robert Lewandowski rolled back the years with a vintage display, scoring a superb hat-trick to guide Barcelona to a thrilling 4-2 victory over Celta Vigo on Sunday night, cutting the gap at the top of La Liga to just three points behind Real Madrid.
The Polish striker opened the scoring early in the ninth minute, calmly converting from the penalty spot after Marcos Alonso’s handball in the area was spotted by the referee. His finish put Barcelona in control, but the lead barely lasted seconds.
Celta Vigo hit back almost immediately when Sergio Carreira finished off a lightning counter-attack, just 22 seconds after Marcus Rashford had been denied in a one-on-one by Vicente Guaita.
Rashford, however, quickly redeemed himself. In the 36th minute, the English forward’s perfectly measured cross found Lewandowski, who volleyed home to restore Barcelona’s advantage. But in a frantic first half, the hosts refused to fold. Borja Iglesias leveled the score once more with a curling effort from the edge of the area that left Marc-André ter Stegen with no chance.
Barcelona’s attacking rhythm remained relentless, and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal gave the visitors the lead for the third time on the brink of halftime. The 17-year-old pounced at the far post to steer in Rashford’s deflected cross, sending the Catalans into the break ahead in a pulsating encounter.
Lewandowski completed his hat-trick in the 73rd minute, glancing home a Rashford corner at the near post to seal the points. The 37-year-old’s performance was a reminder of his enduring quality, marking his third La Liga hat-trick and his 19th overall in Europe’s top leagues, adding to the 16 he scored across spells with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Barcelona were forced to endure a nervy finish after Frenkie de Jong was shown a second yellow card late in stoppage time for tripping Iago Aspas. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the visitors held firm to secure a vital win.
The result tightened the title race, with Barcelona capitalizing on Real Madrid’s earlier stumble — a goalless draw against Rayo Vallecano — to breathe new life into their pursuit of the league leaders. Lewandowski’s brilliance, combined with Rashford’s creative spark and Yamal’s youthful energy, delivered a night of drama and delight for the Spanish champions in Vigo.
