Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski continued his impressive start to the season by scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory over Getafe in LaLiga on Wednesday.
In a match where Barcelona fielded a weakened squad, Lewandowski’s first-half goal ensured they maintained their perfect record after seven matches. The 19th-minute strike came after a mistake from Getafe goalkeeper David Soria, allowing Lewandowski to score from close range.
Barcelona rested key players like Pedri and were missing injured stars including Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Dani Olmo, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo, Fermin Lopez, and Andreas Christensen. Despite the absences, they dominated the play with nearly 80% possession and 16 attempts on goal, although they failed to extend their lead.
This victory marks Barcelona’s second-best start to a league season, matching the seven wins achieved at the beginning of the 2017-18 campaign. The Catalan team has outscored its opponents 23-5 in the first seven games and holds a four-point advantage over defending champions Real Madrid, who secured a 3-2 win against Alaves on Tuesday.
Lewandowski’s goal was his league-leading seventh of the season, following his two-goal performance in a previous match against Villarreal. He was substituted in the 77th minute for Pedri.
Iñaki Peña took over goalkeeping duties from the injured Marc-André ter Stegen, and the team supported their captain by wearing T-shirts with messages of encouragement for him.
Getafe, on the other hand, remains winless and sits in second-to-last place after coming close to equalizing in stoppage time.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick acknowledged the challenge posed by Getafe, highlighting the need for his team to maintain pace and fight throughout the match. He expressed pride in the team’s mentality and performance on the field.