Barcelona 1-0 Deportivo Alaves: Lewandowski fires Barca to narrow win over Alaves
Barcelona closed the gap on LaLiga leaders Real Madrid to four points with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Deportivo Alaves on Sunday, courtesy of Robert Lewandowski's decisive second-half strike. The win at the Estadi Olímpic Lluis Companys marked Barcelona’s second consecutive league triumph, lifting them to 45 points after 22 matches, while Alaves remained in the relegation zone, sitting 18th and two points from safety.
"Before the game, we knew we had to win. We are a few points behind," said Lewandowski, who extended his lead as LaLiga's top scorer with his 18th goal of the season. "We can't always win by three, four, or five goals. Sometimes a team comes in that plays very low... but it's football. We played with patience and vigilance, and in the end, we scored one more goal than the opponent. We are very happy."
Barcelona started brightly, with Lamine Yamal weaving past defenders to set up Raphinha, whose early effort went just wide. However, the match saw an unfortunate delay after a head clash between Gavi and Tomas Conechny, forcing both players off following medical attention.
"It's the doctor's decision. (Gavi) couldn't continue playing and we have to respect that. He is a player who always wants to play," Barcelona manager Hansi Flick explained.
Despite dominating possession, Barcelona struggled to break down a deep-lying Alaves defense. A missed opportunity from Lewandowski in the first half kept the scoreline level until the Polish striker finally broke the deadlock in the 61st minute.
A lofted ball from Pedri found Yamal, whose cross took a deflection off Nahuel Tenaglia before landing perfectly for Lewandowski to volley home from close range.
Alaves goalkeeper Jesus Owono denied Yamal a chance to extend the lead, keeping the visitors in contention. As Alaves pushed for a late equalizer, Barcelona managed to control possession and slow down the tempo to secure the three points.
Toni Martinez had a golden opportunity to rescue a point for Alaves in the 87th minute, but his shot from Santiago Mourino’s cross missed the target, resulting in Alaves' second league defeat since Eduardo Coudet took over as head coach in December.
"I'm happy with the team... it wasn't easy because Alaves defended very well," Flick added.
Next up, Barcelona will travel to Sevilla next Sunday, while Alaves host Getafe on the same day as they fight to escape the drop zone.
SportsLigue