Robert Lewandowski scored two goals on his 34th birthday to help Barcelona register an emphatic 4-1 win at Real Sociedad for its first victory of the La Liga 2022-23 season on Sunday.
In a 4-1 triumph over Real Sociedad on Sunday, Barcelona saw its star-studded attack finally gel as former Bayern Munich icon Robert Lewandowski left his imprint with two goals on his 34th birthday. This was the Catalan club's first victory of the year.
What an absolute 🌟 pic.twitter.com/cUPEyyLNWy
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)As Barcelona quickly recovered from a scoreless opening tie at Camp Nou in the Spanish league against Rayo Vallecano, where the offence was ineffectual, Lewandowski also assisted Ansu Fati's goal.
The Catalan club entered the season with great expectations after making significant investments to strengthen its team while facing financial challenges. Ousmane Dembele also scored for the team.
Alejandro Balde's pass set up Lewandowski's first goal of the game, which came a minute into the La Liga clash with great touch from inside the penalty area.
After a beautiful through play by seasoned David Silva, the hosts tied the score in the sixth minute on a goal from Alexander Isak, but Barcelona's strikers stood out in the second half.
Dembele scored with a low shot in the 66th after a backheel pass by Fati, who found the net in the 79th after Lewandowski's assist. The Polish superstar's second goal came from close range in the 68th after another assist by Fati.
Barcelona maintained its perfect record with two draws and 11 triumphs over Sociedad in 13 league games. Sociedad had won its first match at Cádiz.
🗣 Xavi:
❝We are very happy for the players, the team deserved to win❞ pic.twitter.com/itE6vcJzSs
Meanwhile, Lewandowski took to Instagram to celebrate his first two goals for Barcelona in Sunday's clash at Reale Arena. "What a night!" wrote the Poland international in a post flooded with several fans' comments.
"I am very proud, not only for myself but for the team. The first half was a little bit difficult for us, but in the second half, we pushed forward. We played faster and quicker, and in the end, we had more space and created more situations to score. We scored four goals, and it was a good game for us. We know that every day, every work we have to work on our side and for sure in the future we are going to play even better," the 34-year-old striker said.
🥳 The birthday boy speaks 👇 pic.twitter.com/uMLOxok8vl
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)"It was an important match after the setback the other day," Barcelona midfielder Pedri González said following the win. "We came in very motivated to get the win, and that's what happened."
"He is 34, but it looks like he is only 20," added Pedri, who is 15 years younger than the veteran Poland striker. "It's crazy all the goals he scores and how he works to help the team," he concluded.
🗣
❝We had to win this game, it was a glorious win❞ pic.twitter.com/Vf9Axab9Xz