Robert Lewandowski scored his third goal in the new season of the Spanish top flight. His Barcelona side beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in the second round at home. This is the Polish striker’s 45th goal in La Liga. The Catalan club, together with Celta de Vigo, leads the table with 6 points.
After the home team’s pressure, Lamine Yamal (24) broke the spell in the rivals’ goal. The 17-year-old’s left-footed shot found the net. On the way, one of Athletic’s defenders successfully deceived goalkeeper Alex Padilla with his header.
At the end of the first half, the match’s main referee, Jesus Gil Manzano, was completely lost. First, he failed to notice a foul on the visiting striker Alex Berenguer. The action quickly progressed to the second goal, where Lewandowski was illegally stopped. After the refereeing team intervened, the referee ran to the VAR monitor. After analysis, he awarded a penalty, but for the team… from Bilbao. Oihan Sancet (42nd) proved to be an effective player in the starting eleven.
Before the half-time mark, Lewandowski hit the post. After he touched the ball, it dribbled and the home team almost took the lead. After a while, the Polish striker crossed into the area and shot towards the middle of the goal, but Padilla made a great save.
Lewandowski’s goal
The Athletic goalkeeper was left defenseless after several minutes. After another cross-field pass on the byline, the ball bounced into Padilla’s hands. The captain of the Polish national team (75th) scored without hesitation with a precise shot. Lewandowski leads the ranking of the most effective players with three goals.
The match was watched from the stands of the Montjuic Olympic Stadium by Barça’s new acquisition, one of Euro 2024 heroes Dani Olmo. The attacking midfielder, acquired from RB Leipzig for €55 million (plus €7 million in bonuses), was unable to play because the club had not yet completed all the formalities relating to the player’s registration.
Coach Hansi Flick played down the issue, saying he had plenty of young, talented players who were improving week by week, as evidenced by the example of 17-year-old Marc Bernal. However, his contemporary Pau Cubarsi conceded a penalty.
National champions Real Madrid will host Real Valladolid on Sunday. The Royals drew 1-1 away to Mallorca in the opening round.
