Celta Vigo 1-2 Barcelona: Robert Lewandowski scores stoppage-time penalty to earn Catalans dramatic victory
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Updated 17/02/2024 at 20:13 GMT
Robert Lewandowski scored a stoppage-time penalty as Barcelona secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo in La Liga. The Catalans were drifting towards more dropped points in the title race before they were handed a lifeline. Barca were awarded a penalty in added time which Lewandowski missed but due to the goalkeeper being off his line, it was retaken and the striker bagged the winner.
Robert Lewandowski
Image credit: Getty Images
Robert Lewandowski's twice-taken penalty in injury time secured a dramatic 2-1 victory for Barcelona at Celta Vigo on Saturday.
The result was harsh on Celta Vigo who were easily worth a point in a mostly unforgettable encounter.
The goals came a couple of minutes either side of half time, with Lewandowski's opener taking a ball from Lamine Yamal past a defender with his first touch and then powering home with the second.
Within two minutes of the restart, Iago Aspas' deflected shot had Rafa Benitez's relegation-threatened side level and they appeared set to snare a point until four minutes into injury time when Fran Beltran tried to volley a clearance only for Yamal to nip in front of him and take the contact to win his side a spot kick.
Vicente Guaita saved Lewandowski's first penalty but replays showed he veered from his line, so it was retaken and the Pole made no mistake giving Barcelona a victory which lifts them up to third.
Talking Point - Should Lewandowski's penalty be legal?
This was a big talking point 36 years ago when John Aldridge popularised the stop-start penalty technique for Liverpool. The coverage this got at the time perhaps contributed to him altering his run-up slightly in the FA Cup final against Wimbledon when he saw his penalty saved by Dave Beasant.
Now it seems what is old is new once again. VAR being used so stringently on penalising goalkeepers moving off their line seems harsh when they are reacting to the forward stopping his run before shooting.
Replays show a part of Lewandowski's body was always in motion before he kicked the ball but if strikers use this technique to effectively stop before taking the kick, at the very least it feels they should not get the extra benefit of having a second chance if their lack of movement draws the goalkeeper off his line.
Player of the Match - Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
There was the good and bad from Lewandowski on show. No player in the world, not Erling Haaland nor Kylian Mbappe, are any better at turning a ball into feet into an unstoppable scoring shot as Lewandowski did on the stroke of half time.
And by hook or by crook, he also made the key contribution which is enough to take the award in a poor game. The way he reacted to full debutant Vitor Roque whenever the youngster did not link with him as expected was not a good look though.
The Brazilian could find solace in the likes of Jakub Blaszczykowski, Kingsley Coman and Arjen Robben, who all found the Pole a difficult team-mate at times.
Player Ratings
Celta Vigo: Guaita 7; Mingueza 7, Starfelt 6, Dominguez 6, Ristic 6; Tapia 6, Fran Beltran 6, De la Torre 6, Allende 6; Strand Larsen 6, Aspas 7.
Subs: Nunez 6, Sanchez 7, Swedberg 6, Vazquez 6, Douvikas 6.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen 6; Kounde 5, Araujo 6, Pau Cubarsi 6, Joao Cancelo 6; Christensen 6, De Jong 6, Pedri 6; Lamine Yamal 7, Vitor Roque 6; Lewandowski 7*.
Subs: Martinez 6, Gundogan 6, Raphinia 7, Lopez 6, Romeu 6.
Match Highlights
27'CHRISTENSEN WITH A CHANCE FROM CORNER! It drops for him at the front post and he swings a leg at it from six yards out but watches it slide agonisingly wide of the post.
45'GOAL! CELTA 0-1 BARCELONA 1 (LEWANDOWSKI) That did not look like it was coming. Yamal played the ball into his feet 20 yards from goal and with one touch with the outside of his right foot, he set himself up to drill past the goalkeeper from just inside the penalty area.
47'GOAL!!! CELTA (ASPAS) 1-1 BARCELONA! A fine backheel from Mingueza sets up Celta hero Aspas whose effort is deflected off Kounde and past Ter Stegen and into the net.
90+3' PENALTY FOR BARCELONA! This was not an obvious decision on first viewing. Beltran was waiting to volley the ball out of his area but Yamal jumped in his way and did take a whack on the back giving the Azulgrana an undeserved chance to win it.
90+6' PENALTY MISSED! Lewandowski stuttered before taking the penalty but Guaita saved diving to his left. It will be taken again though as Guaita was off his line.
90+7' GOAL!!! BARCELONA (LEWANDOWSKI) 2-1 CELTA! Lewandowski uses the same technique then shoots to the same corner but puts the ball lower and Guaita could not get across.
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