Barcelona vs Alaves Review
Barcelona secured consecutive La Liga victories for the first time since early November with a hard-fought 1-0 win at home against struggling Alavés. After quickly scoring in just three minutes during their 7-1 victory over Valencia last weekend, Barcelona aimed for another quick goal. In the fourth minute, Lamine Yamal made an impressive run past five defenders and passed to Raphinha, but the Brazilian’s shot went just wide. The game’s momentum was interrupted by a serious head collision between Tomás Conechny and Gavi, leading to both players being substituted after 14 minutes, with Conechny being taken off on a stretcher.
The restart of the match saw the visitors controlling possession. The first real attempt on goal came in the 43rd minute when Pedri found space at the edge of the box, but his shot was comfortably saved by Jesús Owono. The game maintained its measured pace after halftime, and when the first opportunity arose, Lewandowski’s header went just off target again. Around the hour mark, Yamal’s curling shot was tipped over by Owono, and from the resulting corner, Barça finally scored. The initial delivery was cleared, but Pedri continued to apply pressure with a pass to Yamal, who sent in another volleyed cross for Lewandowski to finish into the top of the net.
The away side did not respond, as they did not manage a single attempt in the second half. Meanwhile, Ferran Torres and Fermín López nearly increased the hosts’ lead. Ultimately, Hansi Flick’s team secured a victory with just one goal, marking their 13th win in 15 league encounters against Alavés and narrowing the gap to league leaders Real Madrid to four points. On the other hand, the visitors experienced their first away league loss under Eduardo Coudet and are now two points away from safety.
