Barca stutter, then storm past Red Star Belgrade
Striker Robert Lewandowski scored a goal in each half to help Barcelona secure a comprehensive 5-2 win at Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League on Wednesday.
It was another commanding victory for LaLiga leaders Barcelona who are in an imperious vein of form, scoring 24 goals in six successive wins in all competitions, including thrashings of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Barca climbed to sixth place in the 36-team Champions League table with nine points. Red Star languishing in 35th spot with no points from four games.
Manager Hansi Flick made two changes to the Barcelona team who beat local rivals Espanyol 3-1 in LaLiga on Sunday, giving Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong his first start since recovering from an ankle injury.
It took the Spanish side only 13 minutes to open the scoring when defender Iñigo Martínez netted a close-range header from a Raphinha free kick in the 13th minute, but Silas beat Barca’s aggressive offside trap to equalise with a tidy finish from a quick counter-attack.
Barca held their nerve, however, and stuck to their aggressive game plan, pressuring the home side high and creating several chances before Lewandowski fired home a rebound from a Raphinha strike in the 43rd minute and extended Barca’s lead eight minutes into the second half with a first-time strike from a cross by Jules Koundé.
The French full-back also set up Raphinha for Barca’s fourth and provided his third assist in the 76th minute, putting the ball on a plate for Fermín López to fire home Barca’s fifth from inside the box, before substitute Milson reduced the deficit for the home side.
With 15 goals scored in four games, Barca have the best attack in the Champions League this season, with Raphinha and Lewandowski level with Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Sporting’s Viktor Gyökeres as the competition’s top scorers on five goals.
“We are doing things very well and it is being reflected in the games,” centre-back Martinez told Movistar Plus.
“Me being a defender, I can tell you that sometimes we suffer back there when the team slow down a little after scoring and we can pay dearly for it.
“If we improve that, we can be a great team. We have to enjoy this victory. I’m happy for the goal, but above all for the victory.”
