La Liga: Lewandowski’s Goal Helps Barcelona Narrow Gap with 1-0 Win Over Alaves

Barcelona secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Alaves on Sunday, thanks to a second-half goal from Robert Lewandowski. The win allowed the Catalan side to reduce their gap to La Liga leaders Real Madrid to just four points.

The match, held at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, saw the hosts struggle for much of the first half. Alaves defended resolutely, limiting Barcelona’s attacking opportunities.

The first 45 minutes lacked significant excitement, with Barcelona unable to break down the stubborn visitors. A few chances came and went, including a well-timed dribble by Lamine Yamal, but nothing substantial to break the deadlock.

“We knew we had to win,” Lewandowski said after the match. “For us, it’s a moment where we have fewer points than Atletico and Real Madrid, but the first thing is that we win, and then we can think about their points.”

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick made two key changes at halftime, bringing on Frenkie de Jong and Eric Garcia to inject more speed and control into the game. The move paid off, and Barcelona became more fluid with their possession.

Lewandowski was involved in several moments of danger, including a glancing header that narrowly missed before he finally broke the deadlock in the 61st minute.

The Polish striker capitalized on a low cross from Yamal, finishing from close range to give Barcelona the lead. It was Lewandowski’s 18th goal of the season, extending his lead as La Liga’s top scorer by three goals over Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe.

“A game like today is very important,” Lewandowski noted. “We can’t always win with four, five, or six goals. Sometimes teams like this come along who defend deep and well, but we have a chance if we play with patience, and in the end, we scored one more goal than them, so we’re very happy.”

Barcelona tried to extend their lead, with Ferran Torres testing Alaves goalkeeper Jesus Owono, but they were unable to score again. Alaves, who rarely threatened Barcelona’s goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, had no real opportunities to equalize in the final minutes.

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