Ansu Fati came off the bench to star in Barcelona’s 4-1 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday night, a game in which Robert Lewandowski scored his first two goals for the club.
Barcelona’s summer-long pursuit of Lewandowski paid off a minute into their second game of the season. The Polish striker converted the chance from close range, but all the work to carve out the opportunity was done by 18-year-old Alejandro Balde, whose driving run down the left channel created the opportunity for the veteran forward in the first place. However, Barcelona’s lead lasted five minutes. Alexander Isak ran in behind the Blaugrana backline and scored to make it 1-1.
The next big opportunity of the game arrived in the second half. Fifty-two minutes into the game, Real Sociedad players wheeled away in celebration – confident they had taken the lead. Brais Mendez’s freekick had found its way into the top corner, evading every single body inside the Barcelona box, but the referee had to pull the goal back for an offside interference.
In need of a winner, Xavi sent Fati in the hopes of changing the dynamic of the game. The Spaniard entered the pitch in the 63rd minute; three minutes later, he had his first assist, backheeling the ball into the path of Ousmane Dembele, who slammed it into the far corner.
Fati then provided Lewandowski with the chance to score his second of the night, touching a pass from Pedri into his path – and the Pole converted confidently. Fati scored 79 minutes into the match, collecting a flick from Lewandowski in his stride and putting the ball into the corner.
While Barcelona romped away to a comfortable win, rivals Atletico Madrid succumbed to a defeat against Champions League hopefuls Villarreal. Yeremy Pino gave the Yellow Submarine the lead in the 73rd minute, capitalizing on a mistake by Nahuel Molina and driving his shot into the corner.
Molina’s miserable night continued when he picked up a red card in the 93rd minute for an act of aggression. Villarreal took advantage and sealed the points through Gerard Moreno – four minutes later.
