Daijiworld Media Network - Madrid
Madrid, Nov 10: Robert Lewandowski marked his full return to form with a scintillating hat-trick as FC Barcelona defeated Celta Vigo 4-2 in an entertaining La Liga clash on Sunday.
The Polish striker opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the ninth minute, but Celta’s Sergio Carreira quickly equalised a minute later. Lewandowski restored Barcelona’s lead before Borja Iglesias made it 2-2 in the 41st minute. Rising star Lamine Yamal then produced a moment of brilliance just before halftime, weaving through defenders to put Barça 3-2 ahead.
Barcelona dominated the second half, and Lewandowski sealed his treble with a header that bounced in off the post from a corner, securing a crucial away victory, Xinhua reported.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid were held to a goalless draw by Rayo Vallecano, dropping points for only the second time this season. Xabi Alonso’s men struggled to create clear chances following their midweek Champions League loss to Liverpool, while Rayo’s compact and energetic pressing frustrated the league leaders and limited Kylian Mbappé’s influence.
Rayo earned additional praise for their resilience, having played a UEFA Conference League fixture just 65 hours earlier—48 hours less rest than Madrid.
Elsewhere in La Liga, Real Betis and Valencia shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw. Cucho Hernández put Betis ahead in the 74th minute before Luis Rioja’s curling strike rescued a point for Valencia and lifted them out of the relegation zone.
Mallorca edged Getafe 1-0 courtesy of Vedat Muriqi’s early goal, while Nico Williams produced a dazzling solo effort to give Athletic Club Bilbao a 1-0 win over bottom side Oviedo. Williams dribbled past three defenders and fired in off the crossbar, though Athletic missed several chances to extend the lead, and Oviedo had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside.
On Saturday, Antoine Griezmann scored twice as Atletico Madrid beat Levante 3-1. Atletico took the lead when a rebound off goalkeeper Matt Ryan deflected in off defender Adrian de la Fuente, but former Atletico player Manu Sanchez equalised before Griezmann’s second-half double sealed the result.
Villarreal saw off Espanyol 2-0 thanks to goals from Gerard Moreno — scoring against his former club — and Alberto Moleiro. Sevilla ended their three-game losing run with a 1-0 home victory over Osasuna, courtesy of a Ruben Vargas penalty in the 51st minute.
Girona continued their strong run with a 1-0 win against Alaves, Viktor Tsygankov converting from a Bryan Gil cross, while Elche and Real Sociedad settled for a 1-1 draw on Friday.