Lewandowski scores in farewell as Barcelona lose

AAS Editorial Team

Lewandowski scores in farewell as Barcelona lose

Valencia came from behind to defeat LaLiga champions Barcelona 3-1 in Robert Lewandowski's final appearance for the club, though the victory was not enough to secure European qualification.

The veteran Polish striker put Barcelona ahead just after the hour mark, diverting Ferran Torres' volleying strike into the net for his 119th goal in four seasons with the Catalans.

However, Valencia responded sharply. Javi Guerra equalised five minutes later with a composed finish, and within another four minutes the hosts were ahead. After neat work from Jesús Vázquez, Guerra's shot was blocked and the ball fell to Luis Rioja, who fired a left-footed strike past Wojciech Szczesny.

Valencia completed the scoring deep in stoppage time when Guido Rodríguez found the net from outside the penalty area.

Despite the win, Valencia missed out on European places. Getafe's victory over Osasuna and Rayo Vallecano's win at Alavés ensured the hosts remained seventh in the standings.

The match saw several early chances for Valencia, with Hugo Duro, Rioja and Unai Núñez all threatening before Diego López fired wide. Ronald Araújo produced a crucial block to deny López late in the first half, while Alejandro Balde's effort for Barcelona went into the side netting.

Lewandowski came closest to adding a second for the visitors when his header struck the upright in first-half stoppage time, with Unai Núñez also forcing a good save from Szczesny.

Valencia suffered an early blow in the second half when Diego López was forced off with a suspected knee injury. The hosts believed they should have had a penalty when Marc Bernal brought down Vázquez, but VAR confirmed the incident occurred outside the box.

Two minutes after falling behind, Valencia drew level when Guerra collected the ball on the edge of the box, feinted left and beat Szczesny. Before Barcelona could recover, Vázquez set up Guerra again, and when his strike was blocked, Rioja pounced to fire in the winner.

Stole Dimitrievski made two excellent saves to deny Andreas Christensen efforts before Rodríguez capped the comeback with a powerful strike from distance.

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