Barcelona won 4-2 Celta Vigo: Lewandowski hat-trick

A powerful header at the near post in the 73rd minute capped off a perfect night for Robert Lewandowski: the spectacular strike not only sealed a 4-2 victory over Celta Vigo but also completed his first hat-trick in La Liga this season. Barcelona left the pitch with three points, narrowing the gap to Real Madrid to three points and extending their winning streak in the league to five matches.

Match developments: VAR resolves the deadlock, Celta responds immediately.

Barcelona attacked proactively from the start and were soon intervened by VAR. In the 8th minute, Celta defender Alonso handled the ball in the penalty area. Lewandowski calmly converted the penalty, opening the scoring at 1-0.

Just a minute later, the balance was restored. Borja Iglesias played a delicate through ball to Sergio Carreira, who raced past Pau Cubarsi and finished past Wojciech Szczesny, leveling the score at 1-1.

In the 37th minute, Marcus Rashford – in impressive assist form – delivered a precise cross for Lewandowski to finish through goalkeeper Ionut Radu's legs, giving Barca a 2-1 lead. But Celta remained resilient: in the 43rd minute, Ferrán Jutglà broke down the right wing and crossed the ball for Iglesias to shoot diagonally, leveling the score at 2-2.

Just when it seemed the first half would end in a draw, Lamine Yamal exploded in the 45+4th minute. The 18-year-old striker's decisive shot from a tight angle left Radu with no chance to react, giving Barca a 3-2 lead before halftime.

Tactics: possession – set pieces – right wing

In the second half, Celta adopted a more defensive approach, slowing down the pace and ceding control. Hansi Flick instructed his players to maintain possession and wait for opportunities from set pieces. Yamal, the attacking threat on the right, constantly stretched the home team's 3-4-3 formation, while Rashford from the left wing provided impetus with early passes and set pieces.

In the 73rd minute, Barca put that instruction into practice: Rashford's corner kick landed perfectly, Lewandowski positioned himself at the near post and headed the ball into the far corner – a perfect example of a set-piece setup, and completing his personal hat-trick.

Celta brought on Iago Aspas in an attempt to mount a late comeback, but the Barca defense held firm. In the 88th minute, Yamal even hit the post, nearly extending the lead. In the 90+4 minute, Frenkie de Jong received his second yellow card after stepping on Aspas, ruling him out of the upcoming match against Athletic Club; the card did not change the result.

Selective statistics

• Lewandowski: hat-trick (penalty in the 8th minute; goal in the 37th minute; header in the 73rd minute).
• Marcus Rashford: 2 assists (37th minute and corner in the 73rd minute).
• Lamine Yamal: 1 goal in the 45+4th minute; 1 shot hit the post in the 88th minute.
• Celta equalized twice before Barca sealed the victory from a set piece.
• De Jong: Red card (2 yellow cards) in the 90+4th minute.

Impact on the La Liga race

With a 4-2 victory away at Celta, Barcelona moved up to second place in the table, just three points behind Real Madrid. This was the Catalan team's fifth consecutive win in La Liga, with their attacking line – particularly Lewandowski, Rashford, and Yamal – leaving a strong impression and consolidating their pursuit of Real Madrid.

Starting lineup

The decisive moment

The set-piece in the 73rd minute – a corner kick from Rashford, cleverly positioned by Lewandowski – was a tactical turning point, breaking the deadlock as Celta retreated deep. On a night when Barca had to find a way to break through a low defensive block, precision in the small details made a huge difference.

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