Robert Lewandowski’s second-half goal secured a 1-0 victory for Barcelona over Alaves on Sunday, keeping them within striking distance of La Liga leaders Real Madrid.
The narrow win allowed Hansi Flick’s side, who sit third, to reduce their gap to the top to four points, taking advantage of Real Madrid’s slip-up against Espanyol on Saturday.
Barcelona are now three points behind Atletico Madrid, who face Real in a highly anticipated derby next weekend.
Lewandowski broke the deadlock after 61 minutes, converting a Lamine Yamal cross from close range to settle a frustrating match in which Alaves defended resolutely.
“Before the game, we knew we had to win,” Lewandowski told Movistar. “We have to play well, win, and then we can look at the league table.”
Barcelona struggled to create clear chances in the first half, with Alaves proving difficult to break down. Yamal’s dazzling dribble was one of the few moments of excitement in an otherwise uneventful first period.
The game was briefly halted following a clash of heads between Gavi and Tomas Conechny, with both players substituted. Flick later reassured fans that Gavi was fine and had returned home safely.
Flick introduced Frenkie de Jong and Eric Garcia at halftime to improve Barcelona’s tempo in possession, and the team looked sharper. Lewandowski came close with a glancing header before finally breaking through with a typical poacher’s finish—his 18th La Liga goal of the season, extending his lead over Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe in the scoring charts.
“This is Lewy’s job—he’s the best number nine in the box,” Flick said post-match. “In a difficult game like this, it was important for him to be there.”
Barcelona came close to doubling their lead when Ferran Torres forced Jesus Owono into a superb save, but Alaves rarely threatened Wojciech Szczesny at the other end.
Despite the hard-fought nature of the win, Lewandowski stressed the importance of grinding out results. Later on Sunday, fourth-place Athletic Bilbao visit Real Betis as the La Liga race continues to heat up.
