Lewandowski’s Double Powers Barcelona to Dominant Victory Over Girona, Extending Lead Over Real by Three Points

Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona is on track to secure his second LaLiga title and Pichichi Trophy in three years, following an impressive brace in a 4-1 triumph over Girona that reestablished his team’s three-point lead at the top of the table.

With Real Madrid’s last-minute victory over Leganes the previous evening creating a significant opportunity, Barcelona wasted no time in demonstrating their dominance at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

Fermin Lopez was the first to pose a threat, having an attempt blocked by a Girona defender in the penalty area, while Lewandowski’s effort aimed at the bottom right corner was well dealt with by goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

Another moment of tension for Girona arrived shortly after, when Yáser Asprilla seemed to take Lopez down inside the box. However, the on-field decision to award a free kick just outside the area stood, even after a review by VAR from Juan Luis Pulido Santana.

Though the free kick resulted in nothing, Barcelona continued to control the pace of the match, with Ronald Araujo coming close to scoring in the 21st minute, only for Gazzaniga to palm his header from a corner away with quick reflexes.

Girona’s strategy to hold firm until half-time appeared to be paying off as the end of the first half approached.

But fate had other plans. When Yangel Herrera gave away a free kick on the edge of the box, the resulting delivery was turned in by Ladislav Krejci after Lamine Yamal flicked a header past Gazzaniga.

Out of seemingly nowhere, Girona surprisingly equalised eight minutes into the second half.

An error on the right flank by Araujo created pressure on Barcelona, and Daley Blind seized on the loose ball, playing a precise pass to set Arnaut Danjuma through on goal.

The Dutch player’s pace proved too much for Araújo, slotting the ball into the net for his fourth LaLiga goal of the season.

Barcelona regrouped and swiftly returned to form just after the hour, as Eric Garcia’s shot struck the post from distance before a series of passes that ended with Gavi swinging in a cross to the far post for Lopez.

Realising he wasn’t favourably positioned to head in at such a tight angle, Lopez chose to head the ball across goal to where Lewandowski was waiting, who leapt to direct the ball beneath Gazzaniga, bringing his tally to 24 LaLiga goals—two ahead of Kylian Mbappe atop the scoring charts.

With Barcelona having scored three or more goals in a league-high of 13 out of their 28 matches, expectations were high that they would quash any doubts against a side they had previously beaten 4-1 in September.

Lewandowski rose to the occasion, racing forward to ensure that Frenkie De Jong could slip the ball to the Polish striker inside the box on the left.

Calm as ever, he found the back of the net with an unerring shot into the far corner, before Ferran Torres matched the previous scoreline by controlling a squared pass from Gerard Martin on the left and coolly finishing past Gazzaniga.

As such, Barcelona heads into April in an excellent position to claim their 28th LaLiga title, while Girona will be eager to put this disappointment behind them. They have now claimed just one victory in their last 11 away matches across all competitions (D2, L8).