Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Barcelona4 - 2Valencia

sportsmole.co.uk, 29 April 2024, 21:10
Robert Lewandowski netted a second-half hat-trick to lead Barcelona to a 4-2 home victory over 10-man Valencia.

Fermin Lopez headed Barcelona into a 22nd-minute lead, before Hugo Duro capitalised on a Marc-Andre ter Stegen mistake to restore parity.

Pepelu then kept his composure from the penalty spot to turn the game in Valencia's favour, but they were dealt a major setback when goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was sent off in first-half stoppage.

Lewandowski made full use of the numerical advantage, scoring two headers before curling home a free-kick to wrap up his hat-trick and Barcelona's fourth consecutive home win.

The win moves Blaugrana back into second position in La Liga, while Valencia remain in eighth place and one point adrift of the top seven.

Ter Stegen, Araujo make costly mistakes

Barcelona were to respond to the recent Clasico defeat in their first outing since Xavi confirmed he had made a U-turn and would stay remain at the club for next season.

Xavi saw his side exposed by Valencia's threat on the counter in the opening exchanges at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

Duro's flicked effort forced Ter Stegen into action, before Peter Gonzalez dragged the ball harmlessly wide from a promising one-on-one opportunity.

Valencia were punished for missing those two chances when Fermin rose high in the box to power a header home from Raphinha's inviting cross.

However, Barcelona led for just four minutes before Ter Stegen carelessly lost the ball to Duro on the edge of the box, allowing the Valencia striker to roll home his 13th league goal of the season.

Ronald Araujo then gifted Los Che the chance to go to the penalty spot after he was penalised for a rash challenge on Peter.

Pepelu shouldered the responsibility to dispatch the subsequent spot-kick, leaving Barcelona with significant work to do.

Mamardashvili sees red

Joao Cancelo attempted to lead the Barcelona response, drawing a superb near-post save from Mamardashvili in the Valencia goal.

Just moments after making a fine stop, Mamardashvili made a costly error which changed the complexion of the contest.

The Georgian goalkeeper was given his marching orders for handling the ball outside of his box, preventing Lamine Yamal from running through to an unguarded net.

Andre Almeida was sacrificed so Jaume Domenech could take his place in goal and make a strong stop from Raphinha's free-kick, ensuring Los Che took a narrow lead into the break.

Lewandowski leads Barcelona fightback

Unfortunately for Ruben Baraja's youthful side, their slender advantage was wiped out within four minutes of the restart.

Lewandowski towered high to meet Ilkay Gundogan's near-post corner and send his glancing header beyond Domenech.

As the contest moved into the final 20 minutes, Barcelona threatened to score from another corner, but Domenech was ultimately equal to Araujo's header.

Diego Lopez raced up the other end of the pitch to bear down on Ter Stegen's goal, before his opportunity to unleash a strike was taken away by Pedri's last-ditch challenge.

Lewandowski proved to be Barcelona's hero, nodding in from close range after Domenech failed to deal with a corner.

The Poland international made sure of the three points in the third minute of stoppage time, curling a free-kick over the wall and out of the reach of Domenech to complete his first-ever La Liga hat-trick.

While the title may be out of reach, the win keeps Barcelona on track to secure second place, with two points separating them from Girona.

The Blaugrana will face Michel's side in a crucial game on Saturday, while Valencia will have to pick themselves up for Sunday's home clash with Alaves.

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England moved to the top of their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group on Thursday evening courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Didier Deschamps was left frustrated on Thursday as his France side failed to capitalise on their dominance against Israel, being held to a 0-0 draw, though they still progressed to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after Italy beat Belgium in the other League A Group 2 fixture. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England have risen to the top of Group 2 of League B in the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece in Athens on Thursday night. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sandro Tonali's first international goal was enough to send Italy through to the finals of the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 1-0 win away in Belgium this evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women will go head-to-head in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has asked Manchester City to sign two defenders in 2025, according to a report. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte has said that he is open to making the move to Real Madrid. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has said that his club are not planning to be active during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Moldova can boost their hopes of securing promotion from League D Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League when they face fellow European minnows Andorra at Estadi Nacional on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Montenegro welcome Iceland to Stadion Kraj Bistrice in Niksic for their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women will be looking to secure derby bragging rights when they face off in Saturday's Women's Super League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nacho has ruled out the possibility of returning to Real Madrid amid suggestions that Los Blancos were considering making an attempt to re-sign him during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams with contrasting objectives in the National League are set to meet at the Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday, as promotion hopefuls Gateshead host relegation-threatened Aldershot Town. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim will reportedly take Manchester United training for the first time on Monday, with the club confident that his visa will have arrived in time for him to officially get on the grass next week. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has said that a back issue forced Lisandro Martinez to pull out of the squad for the national team's upcoming 2026 World Cup qualification matches with Paraguay and Peru. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has reportedly set his sights on an exit from the club next summer, and plans to take key man Alex Grimaldo with him. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United Women will attempt to claim back-to-back victories when they travel to the Broadfield Stadium for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion Women. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea.