Two goals from Robert Lewandowski either side of half-time brought Barcelona back from 1-0 down to beat Valencia at Mestalla in Hansi Flick’s first game in charge. The home team had taken the lead through a towering Hugo Duro header but Lewandowski first finished off a cross from Lamine Yamal, and then netted a penalty to give his team the win in their opening La Liga match of the season.
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Robert Lewandowski of FC Barcelona celebrates with teammate Lamine Yamal after scoring their team’s first goal during the La Liga match between Valencia CF and FC Barcelona at Estadio Mestalla on August 17, 2024 in Valencia, Spain.
Robert Lewandowski’s brace ensured Barcelona came from behind at Valencia to beat Los Che 2-1 to open their Liga campaign with three points. In his first game in charge, with salary cap issues preventing new signing Dani Olmo, among others, from playing, Hansi Flick started three 17-year-olds with Marc Bernal and Pau Cubarsi joining Lamine Yamal in the XI.
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Valencia were the stronger team for most of the first half and were value for their lead from Hugo Duro’s smart header. Barcelona end season with narrow win over Sevilla as Xavi signs offBarcelona end season with narrow win over Sevilla as Xavi signs off.
Deep in injury time of the first half, Yamal turned back Alejandro Balde’s cross to present Lewandowski with the chance to equalise and then he added a second from the spot after Raphinha was brought down by Cristhian Mosquera. As the game went on, Barcelona looked more comfortable and their new German coach will be delighted to get off the mark with victory in challenging circumstances.
A goalscorer will paper over a lot of cracks for a manager. Lewandowski did just that, as Barcelona’s off-field chaos meant they started five players under 21, the Polish striker’s finishing ensured they secured all three points. Even on a down year last season, where he finished a goal away from hitting 20 league goals for the ninth year in succession, his precision finishing – especially from spot kicks – secured a number of points.
Flick is well aware of the qualities Lewandowski brings, having coached him at Bayern Munich, and knows that while Daniel Olmo and, possibly, Nico Williams will add a great deal to his side, eventually, much will depend on whether his 35-year-old No. 1 can get back to his usual goal-a-game form. Judging by this game, he could well do.
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Player of the Match – Raphinia (Barcelona)
There was no obviously dominant player with a team effort from Barcelona getting them over the line. However, even when Barcelona were quiet in the first half, Raphinia remained a threat. He created a number of chances for others, was very close to scoring with a blistering strike in the first half and crucially won the penalty which secured them victory.
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Player Ratings
Valencia: Mamardashvili 7; Correia 7, Mosquera 7, Gasiorowski 6, Vazquez 7; Pepelu 7, Javi Guerra 6, Diego Lopez 7; Andre Almeida 6, Rafa Mir 6, Hugo Duro 6.
Subs: Gomez 6, Doulquier 6, Otorbi 6, Tejon 6, Guillamon 6.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen 7; Kounde 6, Cubarsi 6, Inigo Martinez 6, Balde 7; Casado 7, Bernal 6; Raphinha 7*, Yamal 7, Ferran Torres 6; Lewandowski 7.
Subs: Martin 6, Christensen 6, Pedri 7, Garcia 6, Victor 7.
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