February 03, (THEWILL) – Barcelona continued their good form by claiming a 3-1 away victory over Alaves on Saturday. Although manager, Xavi, recently announced his intention to resign this summer, his squad showed no signs of distraction.
Alaves applied heavy pressure early on, but Barcelona snatched the lead against the run of play in the 22nd minute. Robert Lewandowski netted his ninth league goal of the campaign by calmly chipping the keeper following a through ball from Ilkay Gündogan. Alaves searched desperately for an equaliser before the break to no avail.
Gündogan doubled Barça’s advantage himself just after halftime by volleying home a cross from Pedri. Samuel Omorodion pulled one back minutes later to give Alaves hope, but substitute VÃtor Roque restored the two-goal cushion for Barcelona in the 63rd minute.
In a dramatic turn of events, Roque received marching orders just 13 minutes after coming on for a second yellow card. Despite playing with 10 men for the last 20 minutes, Barcelona’s defense held firm to seal an impressive 3-1 victory.
The win was made even more impressive as it came amid their manager’s forthcoming departure. They will hope to continue this form with Xavi at the helm for his final months.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
