La Liga 2024-25, Robert Lewandowski helps Barcelona beat Valencia: Stats
What's the story
Polish striker Robert Lewandowski led FC Barcelona to a 2-1 victory against Valencia in their first La Liga match of the season.
Despite suffering an early setback, when Valencia's Hugo Duro scored in the 44th minute, Barcelona regained control with two goals from Lewandowski on either side of half-time.
This marked Barcelona's first match under new coach Hansi Flick.
Here are the key stats.
Match
Lewandowski's brace powers Barcelona
Valencia initially dominated the match, with Rafa Mir narrowly missing two diving headers.
However, Barcelona remained resilient as Cubarsi made a crucial goal-line clearance just after Valencia had taken the lead.
This set the stage for Lewandowski's first goal, a collective effort involving Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal.
The momentum shifted in Barcelona's favor when Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera fouled Raphinha inside the box in the second half, leading to a penalty that Lewandowski confidently converted into their second goal.
Obstacles
Barcelona overcome challenges with young talent
The victory was particularly significant as Barcelona was missing several key players due to injuries.
New signing Dani Olmo was also unavailable due to a breach of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
Despite these challenges, Flick managed to field a competitive team featuring three teenagers in the form of Marc Bernal, Lamine Yamal, and Pau Cubarsi.
The young players showed their mettle in the intense match at Mestalla stadium.
Reflection
Lewandowski reflects on Barca's performance
After the match, Lewandowski shared his thoughts with ESPN.
He admitted that Barcelona's performance was subpar in the first 20-25 minutes of the game.
However, he emphasized that scoring a goal before half-time and taking control of the game early in the second half were crucial strategies.
Despite facing challenges at Mestalla stadium for their season opener, he expressed satisfaction with securing three points and praised his team's collaborative efforts.
Stats
Notable stats from the match
As per Opta, Flick has become the third German to coach Barcelona in La Liga. He joins Hennes Weisweiler and Udo Lattek.
Barcelona are the only team to have started with three Under-18 players in a La Liga match since at least 1998/99. They did this twice before.
Yamal has been involved in 10 goals in 38 La Liga games, which includes five goals and as many assists. He is only behind Bojan Krkic (13) and Ansu Fati (12).
Information
61 goals for Lewandowski in Barca colors
Playing his 96th match for Barcelona, former Bayern Munich superstar Lewandowski has raced to 61 goals in all competitions. He scored 33 goals in 2022-23 and followed it up with 26 goals in 2023-24 season. Meanwhile, Lewandowski scored his 44th La Liga goal in 70 appearances.