Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Barcelona re-established a three-point lead at the top of La Liga with a comfortable victory over Girona at the Olympic Stadium.
Ladislav Krejci’s own goal had given Barcelona a well-deserved first-half lead against their Catalan rivals. Girona threatened to cause a surprise when Arnaut Danjuma equalized against the run of play early in the second half.
However, Lewandowski put Barcelona back in the lead just after the hour mark with an improvised finish. He then scored his 25th league goal of the season following some excellent midfield play from substitute Frenkie de Jong.
Ferran Torres rounded off the scoring late in the match with a low shot into the bottom corner.
This was the perfect response from Barcelona, especially after watching their rivals Real Madrid fight back to beat Leganés and draw level on points at the top of the Spanish league on Saturday.
Barcelona, managed by Hansi Flick, have now won their last nine matches in La Liga and will head into Wednesday’s second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Atlético Madrid, which is finely balanced at 4-4, with plenty of confidence.
