Robert Lewandowski scored a quickfire double before Joao Cancelo sealed a last-gasp 3-2 win for Barcelona over Celta Vigo in a LaLiga clash at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Saturday.
The win provisionally moves Barcelona to the top of the league standings with 16 points from six games, one point ahead of Real Madrid who face local rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Celta are 17th.
“It was a brutal comeback. We played
with faith, with courage, although we were a bit sloppy at times,” Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez said.
“The circulation wasn’t the same as in
the last few games. It’s a comeback based on the desire to win. When you don’t play well, you have to pull these things out.”
Barcelona, fresh off successive 5-0 wins
over Royal Antwerp and Real Betis, started well but it was Celta who had the first real opportunity of the match, with Iago Aspas drawing a sharp save from MarcAndre ter Stegen.
The visitors continued to press forward
and were rewarded with the opener in the
19th minute, when Jorgen Strand Larsen opened his body and curled a right-foot-
ed shot beyond Ter Stegen’s reach after
being played through by Luca de la Torre.
Buoyed up by the goal, Celta settled
into a comfortable pattern as they sat
back and allowed Barcelona to keep pos-session, while intermittently launching
swift counter-attacks that carved through the hosts’ shaky defence with ease.
Strand Larsen nearly doubled his tally just before half-time but the Norwegian’s bullet header was thwarted by Ter Stegen.
Xavi brought on Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo at the break, with Barcelona’s formation switching from two central defenders to three at the back, but while the change brought cohesion in attack, their defence was once again found lacking.