Barça extends its reaction in Mendizorroza
Xavi's men win with goals from Lewandowski, Gündogan and Vitor Roque who was sent off in five minutes
MADRID, 3 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FC Barcelona beat Deportivo Alavés (1-3) this Saturday on matchday 23 of LaLiga EA Sports with a certain authority, more than what is remembered in the last games, to maintain the reaction since Xavi Hernández announced his goodbye.
The culé team put aside the suffering of each weekend for many minutes with a solid victory in Mendizorroza, despite the fact that the Basques started and finished better in the first half and, in the second, responded to the 0-2 score and ended up playing with one further. Vitor Roque was once again the protagonist, but this time he was hero and villain.
The young Brazilian came on in the 59th minute and in the 63rd minute he made it 1-3 with the apparent tranquility for the Catalans. However, with two yellow cards in five minutes, both with a rigorous point, Roque left Barça with one less in the last 20 minutes. Luis García Plaza's men had no option to take advantage of it, without avoiding defeat after three consecutive victories, still with a cushion in the table.
The Barça team did not have complete joy, seeing the bitterness of their last shock, a Roque who gave the three points against Osasuna during the week, but the victory and the renewed sensations took away Xavi's. The Catalan coach, who announced a week ago that he will not continue after June 30, saw his team more liberated again and finding quality players.
This was the case in the 0-1 that Robert Lewandowski scored, the Pole with class to end a two-month drought without scoring, after a play in which Pedri, De Jong and Gündogan played. It was the visitors' first chance, of course, at 20 minutes, after Alavés went around Iñaki Peña's goal with the overflow of Álex Sola.
With three center backs and Christensen as a defensive pivot, Barça had problems on Joao Cancelo's wing. Those from Plaza, who asked for a penalty in the first play and another from the Portuguese for handball, and saw Samu close to the goal, did not give much in defense, but in that quick Barça combination it was 0-1. Peña saved a header from Guridi and Samu sent another wide.
Alavés undoubtedly finished the first half better, but Barça's punch, unusual lately, did appear this time in Vitoria and made a difference. Lamine Yamal won a long ball, gave it to Pedri and the Canary Islander waited for Gündogan to uncheck who sent the score 0-2 into the net just after a good local chance by Luis Rioja.
The Barça happiness was short-lived because Alavés made it 1-2 immediately, with Samu and one more from Sola, but Roque's entry worked for Xavi again. Alavés could not hold on in intensity behind and the third was already a loss, despite the fact that Tigrinho saw the red. Barça added three and maintains its reaction to press high and try to take advantage of Real Madrid-Atlético.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: DEPORTIVO ALAVÉS, 1 – FC BARCELONA, 3. (0-1, at halftime).
–ALIGNMENTS.
DEPORTIVO ALAVÉS: Sivera; Tenaglia (Hagi, min.77), Rafa Marín, Duarte, Javi López; Guevara, Blanco (Benavídez, min.77), Guridi (Abde, min.64), Sola, Rioja (Simeone, min.64) and Samu Omorodion (Panichelli, min.88).
FC BARCELONA: Iñaki Peña; Koundé, Araujo, Cubarsí (Iñigo Martínez, mmin.83), Cancelo (Héctor Fort, rest); Christensen (Oriol Romeu, min.82), Frenkie de Jong, Gündogan (Vitor Roque, min.59), Pedri (Fermín, min.74), Lamine and Lewandowski.
–GOALS:
0 – 1, min.22, Lewandowski.
0 – 2, min.49, Gundogan.
1 – 2, min.51, Samu.
1 – 3, min.63, Vitor Roque.
–REFEREE: Martínez Munuera (C. Valenciano). He cautioned Samu (min.12) and Sola (min.97) for Alavés. And Vitor Roque (min.67) at Barça. He sent off Vitor Roque for a second yellow card (min.72).
–STADIUM: Mendizorroza.