La Liga leaders Barcelona secured a hard-fought 2-0 victory over local rivals Espanyol on Saturday evening, thanks to two late goals from Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski, and a standout performance from goalkeeper Juan García against his former club.
This win strengthened their position at the top of the table, raising their points tally to 49, putting them seven points clear of the second-placed team, who will host Real Betis on Sunday. Espanyol’s points total remains frozen at 33, leaving them in fifth place.
In a difficult and evenly-matched game where the opening goal was nearly scored on several occasions, Barcelona’s breakthrough came just four minutes from the end. Olmo received a pass from Fermín López and fired the ball into the far corner.
In stoppage time, López broke down the right flank to set up Lewandowski for the second goal with his second decisive assist of the match, sealing the victory for Barcelona and silencing the passionate Espanyol supporters.
For long periods, Espanyol were the more dangerous side in attack, pressing hard and creating several clear opportunities. However, García shone repeatedly and remained unfazed by the pressure from his former club’s fans.
The Barcelona goalkeeper produced a series of brilliant saves. These included stopping a close-range header from Perri Mia in the first half, two consecutive shots from Roberto Fernández, and pouncing on a tricky effort from Carlos Romero, as the home side continued to press intensely.
Barcelona will look to maintain this momentum when they face Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, ahead of the final.
