Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski both scored a late goals as Barcelona beat stubborn Espanyol 2-0 in the LaLiga match played on Saturday night, Softfootball reports.
Barcelona beat Villareal 2-0 in their last LaLiga match and came into the Match-Day 19 fixture in full confidence. Manchester United loanee, Marcus Rashford started in attack alongside Lamine Yamal while Pedri was on the bench but Gavi remains out due to injury while Eric Garcia made his 100th appearance for the Catalan giants in La Liga.
Yamal gave the Espanyol defense all kinds of problems during the match. In the first minutes in the first half he collected the ball on the right, twisted and turned some defenders before curling a shot straight into the arms of home keeper Marko Dmitrovic.
Espanyol had not beaten Barcelona in La Liga since 2009 and the the RCDE Stadium was absolutely rocking as the fans were all out for the home side in full voice and a support that pushed all the players to giving their best.
The hosts work the ball down the left and Pere Milla forces Barcelona keeper Joan García into a fine save from his near-post header. They keep probing but the first half ended goalless.
Barcelona manager, Hansi Flick had said the club needed a defender in January but Eric Garcia led the line well at the back as they defended solidly. In the second half, Barcelona increased the pressure on the opponent but they held their own until in the 86th minute when Dani Olmo collected a pass from Fermín López and smashed it home for the game’s winning goal.
Substitute Robert Lewandowski joined in the art as he scored Barcelona’s second after receiving a pass from Fermín López again to make it 2-0. Barcelona enjoyed the win and shared the results with their fans via their official X handle.
The win takes Barcelona to 49 points after 19 matches so far in LaLiga while Espanyol maintain their fifth spot on the table with 33 points.
