Barcelona strengthened their hold on the Spanish league lead, restoring a three-point cushion over Real Madrid with a commanding 4-1 victory against Catalan rivals Girona on Sunday.
Robert Lewandowski extended his league-best scoring streak, netting twice in the second half to take his tally to 25 goals – three more than Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe. The Polish striker has now scored nine times in his last nine league matches.
“For me, the most important thing is helping the team,” Lewandowski said. “I know that if I score two goals, I’m making a difference. As a striker, confidence is key when the ball comes my way.”
Barcelona struck first with an own goal by Girona defender Ladislav Krejci before Ferran Torres capped the dominant performance with a late strike at Montjuic Stadium.
On Saturday, Madrid pulled level on points with Barcelona after a 3-2 victory over Leganes at home, while third-place Atletico Madrid fell nine points off the lead following a 1-1 draw at Espanyol.
It was Barcelona’s sixth straight win in all competitions and their 11th in the last 12 matches. Hansi Flick’s side remain unbeaten in 20 games this year, with their last loss coming against Atletico in December.
“We are in great form at the moment, and we are creating a lot of chances when we have the ball. What I take from today is our ability to react after the break,” Flick said. “The great thing about my team is that we always want to score goals, and everyone likes to see that.”
Barcelona have scored four or more goals in 20 of their 45 matches across all competitions this season.
“When you score four times, it means you played a great match,” Lewandowski said. “We’ve been scoring a lot, and it’s important that when we can’t score early, we stay patient and don’t change our game plan.”
Flick praised the “special” Polish striker.
“Lewandowski is really important,” Flick said. “I don’t like to pick out individuals, but he is special inside the box.”
Arnaut Danjuma scored early in the second half for Girona, who are winless in seven consecutive matches and remain in 13th place.
Barcelona forward Raphinha stayed on the bench to rest after playing for Brazil in South American World Cup qualifying.
Barcelona visit Atletico on Wednesday for the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. The first match ended in a 4-4 draw.
Real Betis came from behind to defeat rivals Sevilla 2-1 at home, securing their first league derby win since 2018.
Ruben Vargas put the visitors ahead in the 17th minute before Johnny Cardoso equalized for Betis in the 25th. Cucho Hernández scored the winner in first-half stoppage time.
Betis strengthened their grip on sixth place and a European qualification spot. Sevilla, who have lost two in a row, remain in 11th place.
Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis have now won four straight matches in all competitions and eight of their last 10.
Fifth-place Villarreal won 2-1 at Getafe, closing the gap on fourth-place Athletic Bilbao, who were held to a 0-0 home draw against Osasuna. Villarreal trail Athletic by six points with a game in hand.
Valencia climbed to 15th with a 1-0 win over eighth-place Mallorca, thanks to Diego López’s goal in the 50th minute. It was Mallorca’s first loss in seven matches.
