Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick and Lamine Yamal was also on target as Barcelona secured a 4-2 win at Celta Vigo on Sunday to move within three points of 2025-26 La Liga leaders Real Madrid.
After Real were held to a draw by Rayo Vallecano earlier in the day, Barcelona closed the gap on their rivals by moving to 28 points and moving two ahead of third-placed Villarreal.
Celta remains 13th with 13 points, five behind the European places.
«After his injury I saw a different Lewandowski, a positive one,» Barcelona coach Hansi Flick told reporters.
«He came back earlier than planned. It’s great that he scored three goals to boost his confidence. He was very important for us last season,» he added.
Lewandowski opened the scoring from the penalty spot after ten minutes, after a handball on the edge of the penalty area by Marcos Alonso.
Celta responded immediately when Sergio Carreira scored in the next minute, but Barcelona regained the lead in the 37th minute when Lewandowski met a perfect cross from Marcus Rashford who guided the ball past goalkeeper Andrei Radu.
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The hosts leveled again in the 43rd minute when Borja Iglesias unleashed a stunning goal that came off the crossbar, before Yamal scored just before half-time to restore the visitor’s advantage.
Barcelona firmly took the lead after the break, sealing victory in the 73rd minute when the Polish striker completed his hat-trick by tapping home from Rashford’s corner.
The result provides a timely boost for Barca ahead of the international break, although they finished the match with ten men after Frenkie de Jong was sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time.
«(De Jong) played a great game; he controlled the game. He’s playing at an incredible level. It’s not good that he misses the next game; we’ll have to deal with it,» Flick said.
«It’s always better to go into an international break with a win. I hope everyone comes back healthy,» he added.
Published on November 10, 2025
