Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski delivered a dominant performance, scoring twice to lead his side to a resounding 5-0 victory over Swiss club Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday. This triumph marks a crucial bounce back for the Catalan giants following a 2-1 loss to AS Monaco in their opening match.
After a triumphant start to their La Liga campaign with seven consecutive wins, Barcelona suffered a surprising 4-2 defeat to Osasuna on Saturday. However, under manager Hansi Flick, the team returned to form in a display of complete dominance.
The first goal arrived in the eighth minute when Lewandowski deftly tapped in a low cross from Raphinha, following a well-executed combination with the Brazilian forward and the teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. Barcelona controlled the game, holding over 75% of possession, but Young Boys squandered a golden opportunity to equalize in the 30th minute. After failing to clear a cross, Ebrima Colley found himself unmarked at the far post, but his poor strike sailed well wide of the goal.
Despite missing a few decent chances, including a powerful strike by Yamal saved by the goalkeeper, Barcelona surged ahead with a quick-fire double from Raphinha and Inigo Martinez. In the 34th minute, Raphinha capitalized on a rebound from a corner kick to score the second goal. Less than three minutes later, defender Martinez rose powerfully to head in a cross from Pedri, putting Barcelona 3-0 up.
Lewandowski secured his second goal and Barcelona’s fourth in the 51st minute, heading in a corner from Martinez. The final goal came in the 81st minute when defender Mohamed Camara, attempting to clear an Alejandro Balde cross, inadvertently bundled the ball into his own net.
Despite their dominant attacking performance, Barcelona remained vulnerable at the back on occasion. Silvere Ganvoula missed a clear chance from close range, and Joel Monteiro hit the crossbar. In stoppage time, Monteiro believed he had scored a consolation goal following a counter-attack, but his effort was ruled offside by VAR.
