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Lewandowski Stars as Barca Defeat Alaves Easily
Robert Lewandowski starred for the first time in nearly seven months in a thrilling first half performance, bringing in all three goals in the match as Barcelona defeated Alaves 3-0 Sunday in La Liga. The victory keeps Barcelona three points clear at the head of La Liga.
Early Blow and Quicken Lead
Ferran Torres was substituted after five minutes of playing time with a hamstring, though Barcelona's response was swift. The first goal arrived in the 7th minute as Lewandowski nodded in a free-kick off Raphinha to give his side an early lead. That made it his 50th goal in La Liga for the club.
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Raphinha played an important role for the 22nd minute when he helped Lewandowski score his second. Lewandowski scored his hat-trick after little more than half an hour of play when he received a well-timed pass from Eric Garcia who composed a nice finish.
Defensive Analysis
And indeed, there were moments when Alaves threatened Barca's impunity, but their efforts were either ruled out by VAR or flopped to the woodwork. Eventually, Hector Fort and Inigo Martinez held firm but looked a little vulnerable as high as they appeared.
Contribution from midfield and attack
It was an excellent game by Raphinha with two assists on the day, as he was marshaling the attacks of Barca throughout, wearing the captain's armband as Marc-André ter Stegen did not play. Lamine Yamal demonstrated his skills during his time playing, but he left the field at halftime of the match as Barcelona handled the fitness issues of some players.
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Substitutes & Manager's Role
Eric Garcia got on the scoresheet from the bench to complete Lewandowski's hat-trick. Hansi Flick tactical adjustments paid off as they went through the game with a relaxing margin although their squad was already affected and weakened just at the start of the match.
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