Image via @FCBarcelona on Twitter
Only 46 seconds of the game had passed when Robert Lewandowski scored the first goal of the tie last night as Barcelona beat Real Sociedad 4-1. The Polish captain turned 34 yesterday, and he marked this occasion by being an integral part of a Barca team which looked better the more the game went on.
Despite this, the first half was not smooth sailing for the away side. Sociedad equalised five minutes later, and looked the more dangerous team for large periods of the first half, even having a goal disallowed at the start of the second half.
However, once Xavi changed the formation and made two substitutions, the Barcelona game-plan worked perfectly, seeing Ousmane Dembele score the second, Lewandowski the third (his second) and Ansu Fati score the fourth, following an impressive and incredibly skilful assist from Lewandowski.
Lewandowski was named man of the match, which you would expect after contributing what he did for the team. Whilst the scoreline was perhaps more flattering than was fair, it was still an example that with the right tactics and the right personnel, Barca are capable of blowing teams away.
What is more of a worry for them going forward is that it took 65 minutes before Xavi felt the need to make these changes. Before that, the team looked very much like it was relying on individual moments, and there was a particular selfishness to the play. Against a more clinical opponent, Barcelona would’ve most likely suffered a heavy defeat.
In any case, that was not to be last night, and instead, working in tandem with each other, Ansu Fati and Lewandowski terrorised the Sociedad defence for the last 25 minutes of the match. It will be interesting to see on Thursday who Barcelona draw in their Champions League group, before their next La Liga match against Valladolid this coming Sunday.
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