Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Robert Lewandowski confirmed his return to full fitness with a hat-trick as FC Barcelona beat Celta Vigo 4-2 in a La Liga match. The Polish forward scored a ninth-minute penalty and restored the lead after Sergio Carreira had canceled out his opener in the 10th minute. Borja Iglesias made it 2-2 in the 41st, and Lamine Yamal put Barcelona ahead on the stroke of halftime with an individual goal. Barcelona controlled the second half, and Lewandowski completed his hat-trick with a header that went in off the post after a corner, reports Xinhua.
Real Madrid was held to a 0-0 draw away to Rayo Vallecano to drop points in La Liga for just the second time this season. Xabi Alonso’s side failed to create clear chances after its midweek Champions League defeat to Liverpool, while Rayo pressed effectively to keep the leaders at bay and limit Kylian Mbappe. Mallorca claimed a 1-0 win at Getafe thanks to Vedat Muriqi’s 14th-minute goal. Nico Williams scored a spectacular winner as Athletic Club Bilbao beat bottom-of-the-table Oviedo 1-0. Williams beat three defenders before finishing off the underside of the bar to decide a game in which Athletic missed chances to make the score more comfortable, while Oviedo had a goal ruled out for a very close offside.
Antoine Griezmann scored twice as Atletico Madrid defeated Levante 3-1 on Saturday. Atletico led when a save from Matt Ryan rebounded in off defender Adrian de la Fuente, and although former Atletico defender Manu Sanchez leveled with a header, Griezmann’s second-half goals settled the game. Gerard Moreno scored against his former club as Villarreal beat Espanyol 2-0, with Alberto Moleiro adding a second after the break. Ruben Vargas’ 51st-minute penalty gave Sevilla a 1-0 home win over Osasuna, ending a three-match losing streak.
