Lewandowski scores twice as Barcelona gets closer to the championship

Leaders Barcelona defeated bottom team Elche 4-0 on Saturday to move ahead of Real Madrid in second place in La Liga by a provisional margin of 15 points. Robert Lewandowski scored twice in the victory.

The Catalan team advanced closer to capturing their 27th LaLiga championship, while Real will need to defeat Valladolid on Sunday to keep their slim hopes alive.

After three league games without a goal, LaLiga's leading scorer Lewandowski scored his first league goal in the 20th minute with a close-range finish after Ronald Araujo headed the ball down to him in front of goal.

Ansu Fati doubled the advantage in the 55th minute by receiving a pass from Ferran Torres in his own half, cutting inside to the edge of the box, and firing low into the far corner for his first league goal since October.

When Gavi stole the ball from the Elche defense in the 65th minute, Barcelona's trademark high pressing paid off. Lewandowski was set up in the box and had no trouble scoring his second goal of the game and 17th league goal of the season.

In a game where the rest of the team stepped up in the absence of crucial players like Ousmane Dembele, Pedri, Raphinha, and Frenkie De Jong, Torres scored in the 70th minute, slipping his shot into the left corner for his third league goal of the season.

"The three shots—two from Robert, one each from Ferran and Ansu—were perfect. A fantastic night for the players who needed and gained a lot of confidence, according to Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez.

"We proved that we are a team, and everyone contributes," said the team.

On Wednesday, Barcelona will play Real Madrid for the fourth time in 2023 in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal, which they are leading 1-0.

Elche is 14 points outside of the safety zone and on the verge of being relegated with 13 points from 27 games.