Barcelona put in another impressive display at home as they won the battle of the Catalan clubs- the Catalan football derby, cruising past Girona, 4-1. The victory saw Robert Lewandowski net twice in the second half, solidifying his lead atop LaLiga’s scoring chart with 25 goals. With this victory Barcelona climbed to 66 points from 29 matches, increasing their lead over Real Madrid to 12 points.
Barcelona dominated the game from the start, asserting their will on Girona. Fermin Lopez and Robert Lewandowski took aim with early strikes at Girona’s goalie, Paulo Gazzaniga. Every one of their tries in that encounter sparked the mood for the match. Jules Kounde looked to have put the game beyond doubt for Barcelona, but his goal was ruled out for offside.
Girona couldn’t handle Barcelona’s nonstop runs into the defensive final third. The visitors were put on the defensive for the majority of the match, never able to respond to Barcelona’s attacking firepower. His first goal, in the 77th minute, was created by a stampeding Barcelona counterattack led by Frenkie de Jong. De Jong’s second assist came after he found Lewandowski in the box, who curled a low shot past Gazzaniga.
Substitute Ferran Torres finished the scoring with an emphatic goal to heap more embarrassment on Girona, scoring to make it 4-1. Torres exhibited his amazing skill on the ball by taking a pass from the wing with the most beautiful first touch. He then effortlessly slotted it past the keeper into the bottom corner.
Girona was able to compose itself and equalize shortly after the restart through a stylish Arnaut Danjuma strike. Even after scoring, Danjuma admitted that his team made life difficult for themselves against Barcelona.
“It’s very clear to see that when they had the ball this afternoon, it wasn’t easy for us. We knew we were up against a great team,” – Danjuma
“After I scored, I thought we could take something from the game, we could pressure them a little bit more. But then they got their second, they got their third… and then it became very difficult.” – Danjuma
Lewandowski’s historic performance once again sent the world in awe of his brilliant skills and commitment to the game.
“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
“At the moment I’m feeling great physically, and if you look at the numbers, they’re the same as they’ve always been.” – Lewandowski
