Barcelona soared to the top of La Liga with a dominant 4-1 victory over Girona in a thrilling Catalan derby on Sunday. Robert Lewandowski was the star of the show, scoring twice in the second half to secure the win for the hosts.
The victory moved Barcelona to 66 points from 29 games, placing them three points clear of rivals Real Madrid. The 36-year-old Lewandowski extended his lead atop the La Liga scoring charts to 25 goals, three ahead of his nearest competitor.
“I know a lot of people talk about my age, but I work as hard as I did when I was 21, and I want to play for more seasons,” Lewandowski said with a smile. “At the moment, I’m feeling great physically, and if you look at the numbers, they’re the same as they’ve always been.”
Barcelona dominated the early stages, with Fermin López and Lewandowski testing Girona’s goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga with early shots. Moments later, López was fouled on the edge of the box, leading to a controversial decision where VAR overturned a free kick for Barcelona and awarded it to Girona instead, surprising the home side.
Jules Koundé had a goal disallowed for offside as Barcelona continued to press. Gazzaniga stood firm, making several crucial saves to keep Girona in the game. However, just before halftime, a free kick from Lamine Yamal deflected off Girona defender Ladislav Krejčí for an own goal, giving Barcelona a 1-0 lead.
Against the run of play, Girona equalized shortly after the restart. Winning possession in midfield, Dutch forward Arnaut Danjuma curled a shot past Barcelona’s goalkeeper, leveling the score at 1-1.
Barcelona responded confidently. Just after the hour mark, López headed the ball across the box, and Lewandowski executed an acrobatic finish at the far post to restore the lead. In the 77th minute, Lewandowski struck again, curling a low shot past Gazzaniga after a slick pass from Frenkie de Jong, making it 3-1.
Substitute Ferran Torres added a fourth goal, expertly controlling a pass from the wing before finding the bottom corner. Yamal nearly made it five, his curling effort bouncing off the crossbar.
The emphatic win showcases Barcelona’s attacking prowess as they continue their push for the La Liga title.
